Scroll of the Ronin Warriors
by stargazer86
Summary: RoninInu Xover: In an attempt to seal the Well, Kagome's grandfather seeks help from an old friend, Sensei Date. Sage is captured by a demon and dragged into Inuyasha's time. Now the Ronin Warriors must go after him
1. Scroll One: Kiddnapped Ronin

Disclaimer: Ronin Warriors and Inuyasha belong soully to Sunrise and the artist who created Inu. The Guardians belong to me and so are the extras and bad guys/girls 

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Scroll One: Kidnapped Ronin

Kagome stepped outside of her house to see the morning sun peaking threw the trees of the family shine. She smile a little bit as she slung her pack onto her shoulder and started walking towards the well house. She was ready for another adventure in feudal Japan.

Grandfather came running outside. 

"My girl, you are not going down that well!" He roared. 

Kagome blinked in surprise. "Huh? Why not! You know what I'm doing it very important! I have to finish collecting the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls!" 

Grandfather shook his head. "No. No more. I have an old friend of mine from Kyoto coming in today to seal that well up for good." 

Kagome crossed her arms in amusement. "You know it won't work." She laughed. "If you can't seal the well and keep Inuyasha out….then want makes you think your friend can do it."

Grandfather sighed in annoyance. "His name is Sensei Date. He is dear friend of mine. I know you don't care for our old ways but I assure you, the Date family is very well known for their abilities in marshal arts…they also are renowned for their ways of 'spirit control'. Such as banishing demons…"

"Has it ever worked before?" Kagome asked, now feeling a little nervous about the idea.

"Yes." Grandfather spoke. "Several times. In fact, they haven't failed once." He sighed once more. "From what I heard, Sensei Date's grandson, a young man named Sage is very knowledge in these arts."

Kagome flinched. "Sage? Date Sage? Isn't he the young man who won last months Marshall Arts tournament here in Tokyo!?"

Grandfather started to nod when a car pulled up at the foot of the stairs to the shrine. They both turned to see a young man climb from the driver's seat, wearing a wrap around tunic top that was white and green pants, much like Inuyasha's with out the tie in the front. The passenger was an old man, wearing the same outfit but a gray shirt instead of white. 

Kagome gasped in surprise. She had come home that weekend last month when the tournament was finishing. Her brother idolized Sage Date…and the young boy named Yulie Yamano Koji. The two finished the competition at the top of their class. Kagome, like any typical teenage girl…had thought Sage Date was stunningly cute…

Now he was walking up the stairs of her family's shrine. 

Sayo came running outside. "Kagome, mom wanted you to take this—" He froze in horror with the box of cookies as he spotted his long time idol come into sight. The cookies dropped to the ground.

"Ah, Date, it's good to see you again my old friend." Grandfather came up and patted the old man on the arm. 

"Same you. I see you're family still guards the shrine." Date spoke lightly. He looked over to Sage who bowed his head accordingly to ancient custom. Kagome nearly passed out from holding her breath. 

Sayo when nuts. "Grandfather! You know the Date family!?"

Grandfather smiled. "Yes. And this is no ruse. Our families have been friends for many centuries." He then looked to Sage. "And you my boy, the last time I saw you…you were still in diapers."

Sage smiled a little. "I'm afraid I don't recall." He informed. He looked to Sayo as he came running. 

"Ah…ah…Can I have…" He started. Sage kneeled down as Sayo held out a paper and pen. The young man scrawled his name across the paper and handed it back. "Ah…thanks! Ugh…would you know the Koji boy—"

Sage nodded. "I've known Yulie for years. I'm his teacher."

Sayo's eyes brighten. "So that's why you were always watching from the side lines!"

Kagome gave Sayo a shove. "Come on brat, don't you have house work?" She asked. Sayo frowned and returned back to the house.

Sage stood up, towering over Kagome as she watched her brother. "I take it you aren't one for sports."

Kagome flinched and turned around. "Ah…I like some…I'm just not as big of a fan…" _Yeah…right. You were drooling over the TV when he was fighting some guy named Kento. Come to think of it…he was cute too. _

"Sage, why don't you go get your sword." Sensei Date suggested. "We might need it."

Sage looked up. "Yes Grandfather." He was suddenly back to be formal. He retreated back to the car was gone for a few moments. Kagome waited until the young man returned, carrying a huge blade sheathed on his belt. He quickly pocketed a small marble in his pants. 

"It's the well house." Grandfather spoke. "The well in there was called the Bone Eater's well. I've tried keeping it sealed but every time I try a demon will come out of it." He explained. "The legendary demon Inuyasha."

Sage frowned. "The 'dog-knight'?" He looked to his grandfather. "There are myths at the family temple about an demon. It said he was born a half breed." 

Kagome gasped. Sage sent his lavender gaze at her. He studied her closely before turning back to the conversation. "Is he still in this realm?" 

"No. He usually returns to the well." Grandfather informed. "But I want it sealed before he comes back."

Sensei Date frowned. "Sage, why don't you go and look at the well."

Grandfather nodded. "Yes, Kagome, please do show him to the well house. We'll be along in a moment."

Kagome was startled as Sage came in her direction. She turned and started walking to the well house, pass the great tree in which Inuyasha was once bound too many years ago. She looked back to see the young man pause as they neared it, his only visible eye studying the tree. He then continued after Kagome. 

She opened the well house door and motioned inside. "There it is." She said weakly. 

Sage approached the stairs and looked around the room. For some odd reason, he could see strains of hair hanging limping like spider webs from the rafters. 

_Odd. _He thought, and started walking down the stairs. He stopped as his sandled foot touched the ground and he took a step back in surprise. 

_I sense a tear…like a tear in time. It's the same feeling I get when Cian does his attack…_ Sage looked around once more and then back to Kagome who was coming down the stairs after him. She looked very concerned for some reason.

Sage continued to the well, looking into it. He brushed his fingers along the edge of the well and frowned. It had claw mark on it. Sage noted carefully as he placed his finger nails into them…claws from a hand like a human…

"I don't know what my grandfather thinks these days." Kagome started. She was going to try and convince Sage there was nothing wrong. "He says he sees things. Demons and what not."

She gasped in horror as Sage jumped up and into the well. "SAGE!" She cried, lunging forward and looking over the edge. The young man was still there, standing in the bottom of the well, walking around in a circle and touching parts of the wall. 

"See? Nothing down there." Kagome's voice called.

Sage shook his head. _There is something down here. _He thought. _That tear is stronger down here. It's almost like I'm standing on it. _He kneeled down and inspected the floor. He found a small pit…like someone had been digging for something down here. It was small…and once again Sage compared his hand to it. Human most likely…and a small hand at that. 

Kagome waited nervously, hoping Sage would come out of the well. She didn't want to go down there, knowing she'd fall threw the ground and disappear into the gap that led to Inuyasha's world. 

Sage pulled his sword from his belt, the huge five foot blade seemed to glow in the dark. He held up and looked threw the blade to the ground. It disappeared in the reflection of his sword to reveal a hole on the other side…another opening to the well. 

_It's like the ground just divides them… _Sage thought as he sheathed his sword again. He then climbed up out of the well, instead of using his armor's powers to pounce, since Kagome was still watching. He stood on the edge of the well and looked around again.

"Find any demons down there?" Kagome asked, pretended she didn't believe a word her grandfather said. 

Sage shook his head. "No. But I found a hole you tried to dig once." 

Kagome flinched. "A hole?!"

Sage stepped down and grabbed her wrist. He held it up and compared it to his. "Yes. The scratched down there were made by your hand. And there are claw marks on the inside of the well…some one with some long nails had to do that."

Kagome gulped. She had dug once at the ground trying to return to the other world since Inuyasha tried to seal the well up for her protection.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Sage asked. 

Kagome shook her head. "No." She whispered.

"Listen," Sage released her wrist. "I'm not who you really think I am. My family has spent seven generations warding off demons that come into the realm. I'm next in line. And I'll tell you right now, I'm seven generations of spirit and demon hunters. Things like this don't get pass me."

"There is nothing here!" Kagome lied. 

Sage shook his head. "I'm a Defender. My job is to stop negative powers from getting into our world. And I'll tell you right now, there is a tear down there that leads to another time. And there have been demons coming threw that well. You're grandfather is not seeing things. Old men aren't as blind as you think."

Kagome growled. "I won't let you seal that well."

"I know. That's because you can travel there." Sage informed. He didn't bother looking at Kagome as she gasped in horror. He glanced around the well house once more and started walking, clasping at his sword's hilt. Kagome swore it glowed a bright green as Sage froze.

"Get away from the well!" He shouted, sending Kagome to the stairs as he grabbed her arm. He crouched, preparing to pounce clear when a pair of arms shot from the well and hooked under his arms. Sage began to draw his sword. 

Kagome screamed in horror as Sage was dragged back to the well. He was about to fall in when he grabbed the edge. 

Both of their grandfathers came to investigate the shouting. Sensei Date wasn't threw the door when he saw Sage clinging to the edge as two arms continued to pull at him. 

"Sage!" He shouted, jumping down and grabbing his grandson's wrist as his fingers slipped.

Sage winced. "It won't let go!"

Sensei Date braced his foot on the well. "Your powers! Use your powers!" 

Kagome watched as Sage grabbed his sword. The blade glowed a bright green, snapping with energy as he pulled it free and drove it into the wall of the well. He shouted in outrage before commanded, "THUNDER BOLT!" 

The blade snapped with energy and struck Sage's body. He wasn't the least bit fazed…but when the touched the arms hooked under his, they released and disappeared. Sage smashed into the side of the well with a groan. 

"Sage, are you alright?" His grandfather asked. The blonde man looked up and nodded. 

"I think I taxed my body…" Sage winced. "I'm still trying to recover from my episode."

Sensei nodded. "Come on boy, let's get you out of there. I'll see to this matter myself." 

Kagome watched as Sage started to come up. He had his arms over the edge of the well when he noticed he left his sword behind. "Just a second…" Sage panted, trying to catch his breath.

"No, leave it there. I'll take care of it. It was my sword as well at one time. It won't mind being in my old hands again." Sensei spoke. Sage was about to come back up when out of the bottom of the well two more arms came up, grabbing the young man again just the same. 

Kagome decided now was her time to take action.

Sensei Date yelped in surprise, catching Sage by his arm again. "NO! Damn these monsters! What is down there!?" He roared.

Sage winced. "A time portal! It's a rip in time! This monster is coming from another point in time!" He started to reach for his sword again. "This time I'm going to destroy the well!"

Kagome gasped. "NO! Don't!" 

Sensei shook his head. "It's for the best! We must stop thing madness now! Once a Date makes a vow, he will follow it." 

With out warning the arms shorting and a body rose from the blackness. It was a bald woman, with soulless black eyes and bare concealed in a strip of cloth around the chest. She had no legs…but a tail that extended into the next world. 

She came up behind Sage and hissed at him…then released a moanful wail that made the blonde grimace. It was enough to stop him from commanded his powers again as he grabbed his sword. 

"Sage! You're slipping!" Sensei yelled.

Sage winced. "Grandfather!" He shouted. "My armor! I have it! You have to get Ryo! He'll assemble the others!" His hand was ripped away from his sword. "KAGOME!"

She gasped as Sage shot her a look.

"You have to take them back!" He cried. It was just as the demon opened it's mouth, revealing vampire fangs. It sank them down into Sage's neck, drawing blood that stained his collar. He was silent for a moment…but as the bite became worse, he was unable to contain the raw and painful scream that built in his throat.

"SAGE!" Sensei shouted as his grandson's hand slipped from his. 

Kagome could only watch in horror as Sage was pulled down into the well, and disappeared into the time rip. He had been dragged into Inuyasha's world…

Sage's sword fell after him, only to land blade first into the ground, unable to pass after it's master. It flashed a bright green, making Kagome look away. When she looked back, it was glowing a soft gleam in the ground.

"Without his sword…" Sensei Date whispered. "Sage could die…"

Kagome gasped in shock as he turned away and started up the stairs. "I'll shall send for the other Ronins. This matter now passes to them."

"Ronins!?" Kagome whispered as the Sensei walked outside to calm down her grandfather.

_What are these Ronins? There are no such things these days…only in Inuyasha's time…_

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Heart pounding yet? Lol. Sorry, I'm big on Sage bashing. Don't flame me! All you Sage fans will find something to enjoy in this fic. I'm writing this for my friend Newthundera, who got me hooked on Inuyasha. BTW…story is set after ROCN…I need to finish that one…*wonders away to prepare more chapters.*

-Star_gazer86


	2. Scroll Two: Ronins Down the Well

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Scroll Two, Ronins Threw the Well

Kagome was startled to discover a lock had been placed over the well house. Her grandfather has become pale and worrisome over the pass two days. She wanted to sneak into the well and rush off after Sage, hopefully find him before things became bad. Maybe Inuyasha had already started down on his trail…

_Oh, he is too thick in the head to do that on his own._ Kagome noted. She came up to the well house door and gave the lock a pull. It was a short chain. There would be no way she'd slip threw there.

She sighed in frustration and began to pace. Maybe she'll wait until Inuyasha came up the well after her. He'd tear down the door. 

Kagome froze at the sound of footsteps. Male voices were coming near…rising up with each step on the stairs that lead up into the shrine. She quickly hide behind the well house and waited.

"Sensei Date said this was the right address." First speaker was a young man, with a city accent. 

"I don't see anyone here." A second male voice informed. It was tainted with a British accent. "Do you think they left after Sage was sucked down the well?"

"Maybe." 

Kagome prepared to come out of hiding when a woman's voice suddenly stopped her. "Maybe I should have changed into some street gear…I've got this feeling my uniform is gonna get thrashed again."

"And we have problem with that how?" Came a rather rude voice.

Kagome flinched when she heard someone yelp from a punch. She skirted around the outside of the well house and looked around the far corner to see a group of four guys, all about the same age standing by the tree and a woman in a police officer's garb with them. 

_They know who Sage is? This is who Sensei Date sent to find him? A bunch of his friends? What can they possibly do, besides the fact that cop could be arresting someone. _

"So, Sensei said we were looking for a girl named Kagome?" The british man said. The woman nodded slowly as she flipped threw a notepad. 

_Oh god…are they here to arrest me? _Kagome thought. Maybe she should escape now before they did. She started to back into the bushes when the group move to the well house. 

"I sense some great source of negative energy coming from this building." The red head spoke again. Kagome slipped along the side of the well house to watch as they assembled in front of the door.

"Me too." The woman spoke. 

"His armor is close by…" The black hair man muttered as he looked around. "Let's get in here and find out what we're looking for." He whispered. He stepped aside and allowed the Chinese man forward.

Kagome watched as he cracked his knuckles, smile and then take the padlock in his hand. In an instant his clothing was changed to some odd body armor that was orange and white and he simply smashed the lock in his hand.

Kagome stepped back in shock. She stifled a cry of amazement as the intruders opened the door and entered the well house.

_That…that was too weird! He just broke it! _Kagome cast her eyes down at the remains of the lock and quickly slipped back around the corner, taking a deep breath to calm herself. 

"This is getting out of hand." Kagome whispered. She then rose up, dusting off her dress and started around the corner, prepared to finally handle this situation when she walked right into the cop.

Kagome yelped in surprise. The woman was certainly taller than her, and older. She imposed a feeling of authority into the air as she stared down at Kagome with hard blue eyes. The gleam in them was dark…harsh. Kagome gulped, already sensing the aura around the woman to be slightly dark…but very powerful as well.

"Kagome I presume?" The officer asked.

Before Kagome could speak she was suddenly dragged into the well house and the door was closed. She was staring down at all four young men in the same odd body armor as the Chinese man. One of them, in dark armor, was standing on the edge of the well holding Sage's sword in one hand.

"Go Lea." The Chinese man laughed. "How about you don't give the poor girl a heart attack." He crossed his arms and smiled. Kagome knew at once she was paler than a sheet and shaking all over. 

Lea shrugged. "I'm afraid it's too late for that." She reached into her pocket and held up a small red marble. She tossed it ahead, creating a red shield of light that she flipped threw and reappeared in red and white body armor. 

Kagome landed on her bottom at the top of the stairs in mute horror. She was sitting the well house with a group of men and a woman all wearing body armor…that would just appear from some stupid marble?! 

"Ah…" She gulped as one of them started up the stairs slowly. He was the tall black haired man, and also wearing red body armor.

"My name is Ryo Sanada. Sage's grandfather told us it would be alright if we appeared to you in our gear. We are the Ronin Warriors…minus Sage. And Lea down there is the leader of the Ronin Guardians." He explained. "We've come to find Sage."

Kagome gulped again. _These are the Ronins!? _

The red headed British fellow came up after Ryo and smiled sympathicly at her. "I know this is a real shock, but we're not going to hurt you." He motioned to Lea, who smiled a little bit for the first time since, "Lea didn't mean to scare you." 

"Sensei Date told us Sage was sucked down into this well," The blue haired Ronin Warrior standing by the well informed. "He said something about a tear in time and that you could travel threw it." 

Kagome nodded slowly. "Ah…yeah…I guess I can. Who are all of you?"

The orange warrior smiled. "I'm Kento Lei Faun of Hardrock." The other blue haired Ronin bowed his head, "I'm Rowen Hibisha of the armor Strata."

The red head looked back to Kagome. "Cye Mouri of Torrent."

Ryo offered Kagome his hand. "And since you've already met Sage, he wears the armor of Halo."

Kagome nodded. "So what is it so important that you must get Sage back? Do you all have to come?"

Lea came to stand by the bottom step. "We need to find Sage fast, for a lot of reasons. One being he is a piece of this group…and we need him if things got rough again here in the Mortal Realm."

"And he just recently got back on his feet." Rowen informed. "Sage came down with a former childhood illness that nearly killed him when he was little. It almost happened again. We've been worried that it might come out of remission…and if Sage has been captured, depending on how poorly he is treated, he could get sick again." 

Kagome took a grudging step away from Lea. That aura around her was tainted…she knew it. The Guardian didn't see the least bit bothered by Kagome's actions. She was scared…seeing such a dark look in a human's eyes. 

What if Lea wasn't human? Kagome wondered. Did the other Ronins know? She walked up to the well and looked down. Rowen was holding Sage's sword at his side, looking down with her.

"Any other reasons you want to come so bad?" She asked.

"We'll find Sage faster if we went ourselves." Ryo informed. "Our armors are bonded together, there are times when we can feel the other's pain…or share thoughts. It comes in handy during times like these."

Kagome nodded slowly. "Okay…but…if we go, I have to warn you." She began to speak when a cold nose pressed against her leg. She jumped and spun around to see a huge white tiger standing behind her at Ryo's side. 

"Don't scream!" Rowen and Kento grabbed her arms to keep her from falling back. "He isn't going to hurt you! He's just part of the group."

"Ahh….ah…tiger!?" Kagome wheezed. "He…he won't eat me will he!?"

Lea laughed a little as she walked over from closing the door with Cye. Ryo patted the mammoth beast on the head, and he growled affectionately like a house cat. "Whiteblaze has been Ryo's best friend for years. Besides, he doesn't like little school girls for dinner." 

"Let's make introduction on the other side of this damn well." Cye muttered. "It's getting nasty outside…"

"How nasty?" Ryo asked as the laughter seemed to die from everyone's eyes.

Lea's expression was dark as she shook her head. "I think someone tipped off the Dynasty…again." 

Ryo went right into action. "Kagome, can we pass threw the well behind you?"

"Um…just a minute." Kagome picked up a rope she left beside the well when she wanted to get out from returning. "I have to warn you first…Inuyasha isn't going to like this."

Rowen's eyes narrowed. "Inuyasha? The Dog Knight? That's a myth though!" 

Kagome blushed. "Uh…not in feudal Japan." She said, holding one end of the rope as the Ronins all assembled around the well and took a hand hold on the rope. Whiteblaze remained last. 

There was a loud crashing as tree limbs outside began to snap under a harsh wind. The Ronins looked at each other in concern for a moment, then to Kagome. Ryo started to ask if she go now when Lea shouted, 

"GET DOWN!" 

The roof overhead opened into a huge hole and three men dressed in black armor dropped down into the chaos. Kento grabbed Kagome an jumped back as one nearly landed on her in a shower of bamboo and shingles. 

Kagome finally made herself look as the room was engulfed into a fight. Ryo and Lea dodged the swinging blows of one mammoth soldier in armor as Rowen and Cye prepared to take the other down. The last one, was coming after Kagome and Kento…and wasn't the least bit afraid of Whiteblaze as he tried to ward him off. 

"You're finished Ronins." The soldier laughed. "With out Halo, you won't be able to stop the radicals forces from invading your world!" 

Kento growled as he shoved Kagome behind him. "You bastards don't give us do you!?"

"Well of course we wouldn't." Came a female voice. Kagome turned and spotted a young woman about Lea's age standing on the edge of the well in a long cloak of purples and blues. Her short brown hair blew in the gusts of wind that filled the well house. "It's in our blood to keep coming back…and trying to kill you pathetic Defenders!" 

She turned and looked at Ryo, who was in the process of dismembering the walking mass of armor. She slid her three claws on and lunged for him, when Lea rammed into her side and both women when flying into a new battle. 

"God damn it!" Kento roared. "ARMOR OF HARDROCK! DAO GI!" He commanded, powering up his armor. He wasn't even completely finished when he charged the soldier in front of him and tore the armor up.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as Kento walked from the smoking cloud in one piece. All around her the room was darkening from the destruction of the other soldiers. 

Hardrock bolted over the sound of weapons clashing. Kagome followed to see Lea and the short haired woman in armored suits and fighting. 

Lea noticed the guys were coming to her aid. She growled and held off Bast just a little longer. "You guys go! I'll hold her off!" 

Kagome started to protest as Kento and Cye pushed her back to the well and took hold of the rope still in her hands. Ryo reluctantly backed off and did the same and Rowen followed. 

"Go!" Lea shouted, dodging a swipe from the warlady's claws.

Kagome jumped into the well as ordered, followed by each of the Ronins, one by one and the tiger. 

Lea flipped over Bast and lunged for the well. She grabbed the last bit of rope as she powered down her armor and fell in after the others.

Bast stood by the well and growled. "You stupid fools won't leave that time alive…" She whispered. "I'll make sure of it." 

A.N. Sorry for waiting so long. I was worried this Ch would suck…it is very rushed. Bast is the complete proportey of my friend Newthundera. You'll mess with her if she is copied in anyway!!! 

-Star ^_^


	3. Scroll Three: East Meets West

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Scroll Three, East Meets West

Kento crawled up out of well, followed by Cye. The two turned back and grasped Kagome's hands and helped her up. She scurried away as Whiteblaze pounced though behind her. 

There was a moment of silence when the two Ronins looked down. Ryo and Rowen stood at the bottom of the well, holding on to the rope and staring down at the spot in which it disappeared through the ground.

"Maybe I should go back—" Ryo began when the ground seemed to glow. Rowen yelped in surprise, grabbing his leader back to the small edge that they could still stand on when Lea faded between the times and into the one they had come to. She stumbled forward, landing in a heap on the ground as it stopped glowing.

"Hey, is everything alright down there!?" Kento called. 

Kagome looked on nervously. "Maybe I should go the village and get Lady Kaede…" She whispered, seeing Ryo and Rowen drag Lea up and noticing she was bleeding from a gash in her upper arm. 

"It's not bad, just broke the surface." Rowen informed. "Come on Lea, lets get out of this hole."

Ryo nodded. "In case Bast can follow us." He stepped back as Rowen pounced up the innards of the well, pursued by Lea. He took one last moment to look around the bottom of the well, when a series of shouts and surprised yells came from above. 

"What is that!?" Cye cried as he took cover. Ryo just appeared on the edge of the well, casting his eyes around the clearing as a red and silver blur shot between the trees. Rowen grabbed Kagome and leaped into the branches for safety as Kento and Lea braced for attack. 

"Is it a warlord?!" Kento demanded as it started to circle them. There was a sudden flash of steel and then the blur shooting for the both of them, going strait for Lea.

"LOOK OUT!" Rowen shouted. 

A second blur, almost the same color, shot from the side, flying into the first. When the two attackers came to a stop, Ryo and a young man went rolling into the brush, grunting and shouting.

"That was…" Kagome gasped as she heard the scratching of claws against armor. "INUYASHA!"

Cye ran into hedge, grabbing up the rusted sword that had been dropped by the attacking man in a red kimono. "Ryo? Ryo!" He called.

Ryo winced as the silver haired man slashed his across the chest with his claws. "Augh…what the hell—" He cried suddenly, smashing into a tree. He looked down to see the four visible scratches in red chest plate. He spotted Cye coming to his aid when the silver haired man in red leaped up and tackled him. 

He then reappeared, flashing a toothy smile and then leap away as if he had the powers of a Ronin and back to the well.

"Ugh…what does he want with a rusted sword!" Cye demanded, getting up. 

"Don't know!" Ryo groaned. "But he didn't seem to care about us after he finished kicking us around! He's going back to the well!" 

Cye shook his head. "Ryo, when he lunged at Kento and Lea—"

Ryo lurched up. "He was going for Lea!" He staggered to his feet and bolted back to the battle.

Kagome gasped when Inuyasha reappeared. He had the Tetsigai in one hand and was prepared to use it. He faced off with Kento and Lea, pointing his sword at Hardrock and then Lea. 

It transformed in the Steel Fang. 

"Demon!" 

Rowen gasped in realization. "LEA! GET OUT OF THERE!"

Kento charged forward, getting between the two as Lea started running. She leaped onto the edge of the well, just as Inuyasha leaped over Kento. She then bolted for cover, running to the edge of the clearing when Miroku's staff cut her off. She back flipped away as it nearly impaled her. 

Rowen started forward. Kagome stopped him. "Let them destroy her! She's demon!"

Strata shook his head fiercely. "Lea is human! She isn't a demon. Her family blood was tainted three generations back by a witch!" He informed. "She wouldn't harm a soul, only in self defense!"

"Damn it! SOMEBODY STOP THIS!" Kento shouted as he was held back by Kirara. 

Kagome growled at the idea she had to pick Lea's fate. To die at the hands of Inuyasha and Miroku…or let her live.

"Half breed." She whispered. Lea was a half breed. 

But more human than demon.

Lea backed away from Miroku and Inuyasha. The two starting to bear weapons. Miroku began to pull the prayer beads from his hand as Inuyasha lunged forward with the Tetsigua. Lea clenched her fists, ready to defend herself. Rowen could feel the negative vibrations come off of her as her aura started to become visible. 

"Kagome!" Rowen yelled. "STOP THIS! Now before Lea kills them or they kill her!" 

Kagome clenched her fists, confused. "Augh…SIT BOY!" She screamed.

Miroku froze, looking back to see Kagome in the trees with Rowen. Inuyasha smashed down to the ground hard, his prayer beads glowing brightly. Lea started to relax when she slumped against the tree and to the ground. 

"Don't hurt her!" Kagome ordered. "She's not going to hurt us!" 

Miroku turned back to see Lea catching her breath. Ryo, Cye, and Kento finally darted pass Kirara. Wildfire tackled Inuyasha before he could get back up as Cye ripped the Tetsigua from his clawed fingers. Hardrock rushed pass Miroku to Lea, coming to her aid.

"Are you alright?" He asked in concern.

Lea winced, hugging her arms around her waist. "I…I don't feel so good…"

Rowen and Kagome came out of the trees. The two rushed over to help. "She was going to discharge her negative energy to stop them from hurting her."

Cye nodded. "I sensed it too. Her body must be trying to resist taking that energy back within her."

Ryo wanted to get up and help when Inuyasha struggled under him. "Ugh! GET OFF ME!" He roared.

"I will." Wildfire growled. "When I know you aren't going to take someone's head off!" 

Inuyasha snarled. "She's a demon! I have to destroy her!" 

"Lea is a human being like the rest of us!" Rowen snapped. Kagome nodded slowly as Miroku came next to her. 

"But why does she have a—"

"Lea's family blood was tainted a few generations back." Kagome informed for Rowen. "A witch's blood."

Kento growled. "Yeah. Her grandmother. The witch was a Dynasty warlady, a spy for the forces of the Neither Realm."

Miroku flinched at the word Neither Realm. "There is a monk—" He began, but was quickly cut off. Inuyasha kicked Ryo and Cye back and took up his sword.

Kagome put her hands to her hips. "Don't make me say si—"

Inuyasha sheathed his sword and growled. He sniffed the air and looked pass Ryo to Whiteblaze. "A tiger…" He snarled. "Great…" 

Kagome growled. "Enough of this. I'm going to the village!" She stomped pass Miroku and Inuyasha, helped Kento with Lea and started through the forest. Rowen followed quickly behind them.

Inuyasha looked at the two Ronins that were intending to keep their eyes on him. He snarled a little. "Get out of my way!" He snapped, giving Ryo a hard shove on his scratched breast plate. Wildfire instantly took that as a threat, he moved forward to lunged into the half demon when Cye grabbed his leader and held him back. 

"No! Ryo!" Cye winced. "Don't do anything rash! For all we know, he might be our only help in finding Sage!" 

Miroku blinked at them. "Are you looking for someone?" he asked.

Cye released Ryo and nodded. "Yeah. A friend of ours was captured two days ago by a demon. It came through this well and pulled him in." 

The monk frowned a little. "Well then, you came to the right people."

"How the hell is that monster going to help us?" Ryo growled. Whiteblaze seemed to grow tense in agreement. 

"His sword, Ryo." Cye pointed out quickly. "If that sword responds to demon blood, then maybe it will help up find that thing that took Sage."

Miroku smiled a little in surprise. "You learn quick." 

Torrent blushed a little. "Well…it's nothing really. I just noticed what it did when that…ah…dog?…pointed it at Lea." 

"His name is Inuyasha." The monk laughed. He grinned at Ryo and Whiteblaze. "I'd keep that tiger a safe distance away from him." 

"He's better stay a safe distance away from me." Ryo muttered and stalked off in the direction everyone had gone. Whiteblaze followed quickly behind him. 

Miroku stood with a very blank look on his face. This man really had a tempter, he noted. From the look in his eyes, Miroku mentally added that he should never get on that guy's bad side. 

Cye sighed a little in dismay. "Sorry about Ryo. He really doesn't take well to people who try to kill us. Not a very good way to hit things off." He offered his hand to Miroku. "My name is Cye Muri. I'm the Ronin Warrior of Torrent and Trust." 

Miroku looked down at the armor plated hand that was extended to him. He reached down, vaguely remembering how Kagome had shown him, and shook it lightly. "I'm the monk Miroku. I hang around here for the little quirks this village has." 

"Oh? And what it that?" Cye asked, pulled away his hand. 

Miroku flashed a grin. "The view, the people, Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango…the single women…" He winked at Torrent.

Cye blinked several times in disbelief. 

This wasn't his average monk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Writer's block anyone? I'm knee deep in it. I'm SO sorry it took this long to get chapter three, I just kept forgetting to do a name check on Inu chars since I don't own a single scrap of manga. Just a little foot note: Somebody mentioned Lea appeared in "The Ronins' Return". Yes, she did. I should post finish posting the last 33 chapters of it, but I want to see if it can be published. Anyway, this is a big spoiler note for my whole RW/Ronin Guardian series. 


	4. Scroll Four: Growing Forces

****

Scroll Four, Growing Forces

Kaede hummed gently as she ground her herbs in a small bowl. She worked with patience, listening to the sloshing of water as Lea washed the gash in her arm, and tried in vain to dilute enough of the blood in the sleeve of her uniform to keep it from staining. She growled weakly and tossed the rag back into the red water. 

"I am blow on bandage," Kaede informed quietly. "I used the last of my prepared materials on Inuyasha only a few days ago."

Kagome blinked. "Was there a fight?" She asked. 

"Yes." Kaede answered. "Another demon tried to take the shards we have here." 

Lea reached up and began to unbutton her shirt. "Here, you can use this for bandage. It's still pretty clean." She pulled the long sleeved shirt off, revealing the white tank under her uniform. 

Kaede watched the Guardian as she removed the gold plated badge, tags, and name plate. "You remind me of someone." She said quietly.

Lea looked up, "I do? Who?"

Kaede studied the woman for a long moment, noting the look in her eyes, and the way she moved. When Kagome first approached with her in tow, some of the samurai in the village began to whisper to themselves. The old woman had dismissed it as the odd body armor Lea and the men who followed where wearing. 

But now that she got a good look at her…

"What did you say your name was again?" 

"Lea Jackson." 

Kaede sighed a little. All the other young men had last names that she swore she remembered hearing. 

"Lea…Yotomia…Jackson." Lea then added. 

Kagome swore Kaede had a heart attack. The old woman dropped her powder bowl and grinder. Lea recoiled in surprise, not realizing how bad and effect her middle name had on the woman.

Then the look of understanding came to her. 

"Oh…" Lea whispered. "You know who he is." She said quietly, looking down at her torn shirt and badge in her lap. 

Kagome stared. "What's going on?" She asked. "Know who? What have I missed."

Kaede looked to Kagome and rose to her feet. "Lady Kagome, please take some herbs to those other Ronins. See to it that they have a place to stay and a good meal ready. I'll finish this and bring Lady Yotomia with me."

Kagome starred a little in disbelief before doing as she was told. She looked at Lea when the priestess said "Lady Yotomia" and saw the look of cool hatred pass through her dark eyes. 

Once Kagome was gone, Kaede turned to Lea. 

"Please don't call me that again." Lea whispered. 

Kaede sighed gently as she picked up her powder bowl and added just a little water to make a paste. She brushed it onto the gash in Lea's upper arm. "I'm afraid it will not be easy for me to do so. The Yotomia family are great samurai's…in fact, one of them passed through the village a week ago. You're likeness is surprising."

Lea stared into the fire pit as the pasty herbs cooled the burn of her injury. "The woman I hate the most lives by that noble name." She whispered. "I wouldn't have suffered this much if she have never existed." 

Kaede took the long blue strips of cloth that Lea tore from her shirt. She wrapped them tightly to bind the wound. "You know for sure you are the descendant of the Yotomia line?"

Lea nodded stiffly. 

"Then the Lord Har—" Kaede gasped when Lea's fists tightened around what remained of her shirt. The look of hate was glinted in her eyes. She had seen that look before, when Inuyasha challenged the samurai on the last full moon. 

"Please, I don't want to talk about it." Lea said coldly. 

"Why, child?"

Lea finally stood up, the bandage was done. She stood for a long moment, still staring at the fire. 

"We're here to find a friend…I don't want to be tempted into tracking down my family during this age." She could see the look of question in Kaede's eyes. The Guardian reached into her pocket and donned her sub armor. 

Lea took a good look at her armor plated hand. 

Kaede instantly understood. 

"It is not a curse?" 

The Guardian looked to the old woman. 

"There are days when I think it is." She informed and then stepped out of the hut. 

Kaede sighed as she watched the young woman leave. She looked to the fire, feeling it's warmth. All other sounds left her, besides the crackling of flames. She recalled the samurai passing through, he was returning to his village to stop some evil from sweeping the land. 

A demon was coming to their world, Kaede could feel it's presence growling stronger. It fed of hate, destruction, and death. She thought about sending Inuyasha to stop it, but thought better of it. The gods were working in strange ways. 

The priestess closed her good eye, reaching out with her powers. 

She gasped in surprise. 

"It's here!" Kaede whispered, her eye wide and glittering in the light of the flames. That mysterious growing power…

It was in the armors those five warriors wore.

Ryo was on his feet as Lea came to their building. It was a large, two roomed traditional japanese house, big enough for all five of them. Kagome said something about Miroku and a few other people using the same building. 

"Are you alright?" He asked, noting how sullen she looked. 

"I'm fine." She answered quietly. 

He frowned. "There is only two reasons that makes you this silent." He tipped her head up with two fingers. "Family matters, and thinking our armors are a curse."

Lea sighed heavily. "He was here."

Ryo took a startled step back. "He? The Ancient?!"

The Guardian shook her head. "No…_he…_was here. My great grandfather times seven came through here a week ago. There are people gathering for a fight to the south…" Lea pulled out of Ryo's reach. "We're six hundred years into the past."

The look of awareness in his eyes ended the explanation. 

Cye, Kento, and Rowen came over to talk. "Hey…have either of you noticed the negative energy building around here?" Cye asked. "It's so familiar." He muttered. 

"It will be." Ryo answered in a weak voice. "We've traveled six hundred years back to feudal Japan."

Cye and Rowen looked to each other in horror, as Kento scratched his head in thought. "Hey, wait a minute…I remember the Ancient once said something about 'six hundred years'…He was talking about Talpa…and…all…" Hardrock's voice faded into mute shock. 

"Oh man…We are _so_ screwed." Kento whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: All reviewers: if you have figured it out…DO NOT TELL! It goes double to the four lucky people I have told most of the story too…like Harry…and a few others. And for the same reasons in the last AN on chapter 3, you are getting a load of stuff that is pretty much explained in other stories. I'll do my best to clear most of it up when I get into certain subjects. BTW: Reviewers, am I the only one with a posted RW/IY fic?? If not, tell me who else has. I'd like to read other peoples ideas of these two worlds colliding. And any YYH/RW fics too!!! PLEAZE!!


	5. Scroll Five: Power Mistaken

****

Scroll Five, Power Mistaken

The cave was cold and damp…the constant drip of water from the ceiling into cool green tinted pools was the only soothing thing Sage's mind could focus on, once the pounding headache was gone. He had come around to some odd scraping noise, which passed just after he managed to open his eyes. The Warrior of Light was still too groggy to even comprehend the nature of his situation.

His back was killing him…Sage winced at the jab of rock that pressed painfully into it. He was shackled down to the floor, in cold rusted iron cuffs. And much to Halo's dislike, his back was arched over a step bump in the floor, with his head resting just over the crest of the stiff mound. The tight cuffs made it impossible for him to even shift into a comfortable spot. 

Sage had been under all sorts of torture before…

This was just a little bit worse.

He kept lapsing in an out of consciousness, the effect of the monster's venomous bite was still taking it's toll on him. Sage knew it was because he was still recovering from being horribly sick. His power was still incredibly weak…there was little Sage could do to neutralize the bane, besides letting it run it's course naturally. It was one small luxury that it wasn't going to kill him.

Sage has once again passed in a stupor, hanging on to what little consciousness that remained, when foot steps fell lightly on the cold stone floor. 

His captor had finally come.

The young man seemed too daze to realize she was even there. It brought a small smile to her lips. It was one reason she liked to use the Tahaki demons' venom. It rendered victims helpless for days with out treatment. 

She was a some what average woman, mostly in height and size. She was dressed in a faded purple komo, with the hem torn a mid thigh and slit up to the hip on her left leg. Her calves were patted in leather and armor sheets, and so were her sleeveless arms. 

The only difference she bore to the people of this land, was her short brown hair…and acid green eyes. 

The woman walked over to Sage's body, studying it from afar before nearing any closer. Her eyes followed the curve of his rising chest, rising slowly and steadily under the fabric of his tunic. It was a surprise that he was dressed like some of the people of this time. She had heard of the girl who passed through wells…and dressed nothing like them. 

The woman crouched down and spider walked over to her catch like a forest nymph. She touched Sage's arm, receiving no response. A wicked smile crossed her face as she swung a leg over him and straddled Halo's waist. 

She leaned over his body, sniffing the air like a cat. The smell of Sage's blood, from the stain on his collar to the two small holes in his neck was alluring. He's face was graced in a cold sweat, one of the conditions that usually followed with venom. 

Her body could feel the power radiating off him. It was a perfect match to the power of the one item every demon and wicked human wanted. 

The Jewel of Four Souls.

It was odd it was in this man's body…that such a power resided there. But every minor demon in forest had picked up on it and tried to take for themselves. She had fought them off for two days with no rest. She hadn't even had a chance to study the stranger her Tahaki had brought back. 

And now that she had…

She liked more than the power he practically glowed with. 

With both hands she tore the front of Sage's tunic from under his belt and opened it. The soft silk fell back from Halo's chest, exposing his deeply toned upper body. 

The woman reached out with a cold finger tip and traced the groves of Sage's muscles. Halo lurched suddenly into consciousness. 

She leaned back, blinking in surprise as the man winced against the cool air of the cave, and the added weight at his waist. Sage forced his sore neck up so he could see the cause. 

If he could have moved, Sage would have bolted. 

"Wha…" Halo gasped, suddenly short of breath. "Who—"

"Questions can be answered later." The brown haired woman said in a calm and cool voice. She was captivated by the color of Sage's eyes. They were the softest shade of lavender she had ever seen. 

Halo winced, "No…now. What are you…doing…" Sage shivered.

That wicked smile came to the woman's face again. "I'm taking a much needed break…it's not easy to keep all those power hungry demon's from taking you away from me." 

Sage took that as a sure sign that this woman was not on his side. 

"Let me go…" Sage said in a dark voice. He pulled on his cuffs as a sign that he was dead serious. 

The woman laughed. "No. I like you right were you are." 

Halo winced and shifted his shoulder from the same gnarled rock that it rest on. "Look…fine then! But I'm cold…this flood is damp and my back feels like it's breaking in two. If you want me to stay in this cave and under irons, at least let me get off this floor." Sage knew he would have never given in if there wasn't the risk he could get sick again.

The green eyed woman smiled slyly. "I know a way to keep you warm…" 

Sage's eyes narrowed as the woman's fingers brushed into his limp blonde hair. She leaned forward, making Sage crane his neck back, as much as he didn't want to expose his throat anymore than it was. She had to press completely against his chest to follow him down, sealing her lips over his in a deep and bitter sweet kiss. 

Sage winced and pulled his head away. An action he quickly came to regret as the woman pressed against his chest and forced his back against the uneven mound he was shackled against. Halo's lips parted in a silent cry, giving the woman the chance to kiss him again, just as deep and powerful as the first. Her hand in his hair clasp a weak fist full of honey gold strains to hold the fighting warrior still. 

Sage moaned in protest, closing his eyes against the attack. He finally twisted away again, this time avoiding the pain in his back from opening him up to another touch of lips. 

That didn't bother the woman at all. She kissed the curve of Halo's jaw, tasting the sweat that graced every inch of exposed skin. Her lips moved downward, barely caressing the warrior's neck. It sent chills through Sage's body, unable to stop the green eyed woman from ravaging his body. 

Sage hissed in repulsion through clenched teeth as a warm, wet tongue licked the dried blood on his neck. His breathing was becoming erratic and heavy…adrenaline in his veins was heating his skin, shaving away the chill that consumed his body. 

"Stop it!" Sage winced. A set of soft lips touched the crest of his chest. "Sto—" His command was cut off as a cold hand pressed to his side, against heated flesh. It felt like fire. Sage rolled his head back and forth, unable to lash out, even kick his assailant off.

"Lady Jasseya!" A gruff voice shouted. "A band of demons are coming! We need your assistance."

Jasseya shot up quickly, a look of utter outrage on her face. "Damn it all!" She punched her fist into the rocky floor, not wincing as she drew blood. She glared at the tunnel that lead out of Sage's crude cell. 

"Curse those who seek nothing but power!" She growled and looked back at Sage, who could only stare back in something between fear and shock.

"We're going to finish this later." Jassaya whispered. She leaned over Halo once more, catching his chin in her hand and kissing him again, a soft, sweet kiss that momentarily stunned Sage into submission. 

She withdrew reluctantly, folding the front of Sage's tunic shirt back over his chest and then slipped away with a angry march to kill whom ever had interrupted her. 

Sage sighed in sweet relief, letting his head fall back…but no matter how munch he tried to forget, he could still feel the woman's lips against his neck, and her hands on his skin. 

_God damn…how the hell can Ryo take this kind of treatment? _Halo wondered, recalling every horror story the Ronin leader had told him and the others about his encounters with power, lust hungry women. 

Sage found himself smack in the middle of one of those nightmares. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: More info on Ryo's encounters later. I know this doesn't completely look like Sage bashing. Trust me, he usually gets beaten. Even though in the year that this story has been alive, my buddy Thundera isn't a sage fan like she use too…but she'd get a kick out of this. Please…for those who can figure this story out, don't give it away. And ask questions ppl! I love to know what you are thinking if you are confused. Once again: don't give away the story if things are clicking together. Read and review everyone! You are the lifeline saving me from a writer's block!!! 


	6. Scroll Six: Introductions Gone Wrong

** **

Scroll Six, Introductions Gone Wrong

Ryo kept his eyes trained to Inuyasha's. The air between the two of them was so thick that a broad sword couldn't cut it. Cye nervously fidgeted from across the room, clearly disturbed by how bad his leader actually hated this half demon. 

Miroku frowned. "So…ah…what does he look like?" 

Rowen stepped away from the wall he was leaning on and started to circle the room. "Sage is just shy of being six feet tall." He explained, "Short blonde hair and lavender colored eyes." 

"Blonde?" Miroku muttered the term in confusion. 

Kagome turned to her backpack. "Oh! Wait! I think I have a picture!" 

"A picture?" Kento blinked in surprise. 

The girl turned from her pack and began to flip through a magazine. "Yeah. Last month's tournament…They did a spot light on Sage's division. There was this awesome photo of him kicking this guy in the waist." 

Kento sat there, thinking for a second when he flinched. "Wait a second! That was our match!"

Kagome looked up as she finally found the image. "Oh my god! I forgot you were there." She turned over the magazine and pointed out the people to Miroku and Inuyasha. "That's him right there, blonde means the color of his hair, it's that very bright yellowish—"

"Okay then, we know who we're looking for." Inuyasha growled. "I guess these guys can all leave."

Ryo seemed to bristle over like a angry tiger. "We're not leaving."

Inuyasha glared at him. "Oh? And why not? We might find him faster without the extra baggage!" 

Ryo was on his feet. "We're staying until Sage is found!" He growled. "Every Ronin Warrior here is bonded to each other. The armors don't like being separated when in use—"

Kagome looked to the floor. "Sage wasn't wearing his armor when he was taken down the well." 

Rowen shook his head. "He could have donned it at any time after. We don't know that. But it would be better safe than sorry if we stayed anyway."

Inuyasha got up to stare Ryo down. "I still don't think we need them!" He snarled. 

Miroku sighed in dismay as he closed his eyes. "Growling at each other isn't going to get things done." He informed. 

"Stay out of this you pervert!" Inuyasha clocked the monk over the head. "I'll growl at whom ever I want." 

Cye stood up and raised his hands in defense. "Come on Ryo, stop this! We need them as much as they need us. If we're going to find Sage before something horrible happens to him, we need to work together on this." The calm and cool Torrent stepped between the two red bearing men and looked at either of them. "We can't do this alone, any of us." 

Ryo started to say something when Lea finally moved from the back wall. Inuyasha nearly snapped his fangs at her when she took a step in their direction to dish out some order. 

The Ronin Warrior of Virtue shoved Cye out of his way and punched the half breed across the jaw. Inuyasha was knocked back into the far corner of the room, dazed. 

Everyone jumped to their feet.

Lea and Cye grabbed Ryo's arms and dragged him back from pressing a fight. Rowen took his leader by the collar of his sub armor and pushed him out into the night. Kagome watched as Kento herded a snarling Whiteblaze away from the door and closed it shut behind him. 

Inuyasha dragged himself up from the floor, about to lunge at Hardrock to get outside and beat back his honor from Ryo. He shoved Miroku aside, sending the monk into the small table sitting in the middle of the room. 

Kagome started to issue her command—

When Lea took the half demon by the throat and pinned him to the floor. 

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" She yelled. 

Inuyasha beared his teeth. "Let go of me you dirty wretch!" He started to reached for her hands with his clawed fingers. 

Kagome saw Lea's jaw tighten as her eyes glinted with a murderous glare. Inuyasha's hands suddenly fell away, as if he had gone limp from the neck down. The teenager was rushing forward to stop the Guardian from snapping the half demon's neck—when Kento held her back. 

"Lea isn't going to hurt him." Hardrock assured. "She's using her powers to keep him from moving around."

Kagome gulped, "She isn't saying anything." 

"Yeah…Lea is probably cursing the hell out of him in thoughts." Kento looked pass them to Cye as he helped Miroku up. "It's better this way, Ryo doesn't hear them arguing or what ever." 

Cye dusted the splinters from the monk's cloak. "You're alright?" he asked in his accented voice. 

Miroku nodded and he caught his second wind. "Yes. I'll be fine." He turned in time to see Lea released Inuyasha and back away. He held his staff ready as the demon got up and growled.

"I still hate you." He snarled.

Lea crossed her arm. "Does it honestly look like I care?" She muttered and started for the door. 

Inuyasha smiled wickedly. "He likes you, doesn't he." 

The silence was deafening as Lea came to a stop. The dog eared demon scoffed. "No wonder. I so must as glare and he'll tear my head off." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. 

Lea shot a cold glare at him. 

"Inuyasha, stop it." Kagome pleaded. "They're important people…shadowed heroes of the future. They need to find their friend. Cye is right, we need their help and they need ours." 

Inuyasha growled. "How good are you at fighting demons?" He asked.

Kento shrugged. "We've toasted…three or four…" He looked at Cye, who was trying to count on his fingers. 

The dog demon scoffed. "No experience at all." He muttered, looking off at some vacant wall in annoyance.

"Twenty-five." 

Kagome blinked in surprise. Inuyasha turned, a skeptical look in his eyes. Lea had turned around, arms at her side and a dark shadow in her face. "Between the five of us, including Sage. And not counting the minor ones in between like Dynasty Soldiers and minions…" 

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "You're lying."

Lea held up her hand and started naming. "Talpa, Badamon, Saberstike, Sarenbo—"

"Okay! Okay! You've made your point!" Inuyasha growled. "Twenty five dead demons?"

"A few beaten into submission, and the others in between." Lea added.

Kagome started to speak when battle calls from outside filled the air.

"RONINS TO ARMS!" 

Kento, Cye, and Lea bolted into the night without another word. Miroku stood at the door, blinking in surprise. "What was that?" He asked. 

Kagome picked up her bow and arrows. "Come on! I think that is their call to arms or something." She guessed as she bolted into the night. Villagers and samurai were filing out into the open with weapons. She could only guess that some demon had come to take the Jewel from them again.

Miroku was suddenly beside her. "That came from outside the village…just across the river." 

"Looks like Rowen made Ryo walk off his rage." Kagome panted as she kept running. "Where did everyone go? The others took off so fast that I never saw which direction they went!" 

The monk shook his head. "They're quick. I've never seen anyone, including a woman take down a full grown man in the speed that Guardian did." 

"Oh stop praising the wretch!" Inuyasha snapped as he pounced into view. "She had me at a disadvantage!" 

"LOOK OUT!" Cye suddenly shouted, leaping from nowhere in the trees and snatching Kagome clear off the ground. A monster suddenly sprang up out of the ground just in the path that she had been on. 

Inuyasha pulled the Tetsigia from it's sheath. "You know what, those damn Ronins might be handy after all!" He grinned wickedly. 

Miroku narrowed his eyes in speculation. "Why is that?" He asked in a dark voice, holding up his left hand to pull the prayer beads away. 

The monster looming over them snarled as his fangs dripped with sticky saliva. He was an ugly earthy brown and covered generously in spikes and horns. His seven golden eyes blinked erratically, and fur bristled along his arms and legs. The thing was absolutely hideous as is marched on thick fat legs with reversed knees and clawed feet. 

"They'll keep Kagome out of the damn way!" Inuyasha lunged forward, just as the Steel Fang transformed. He sliced through the monster, showering the ground black, blue blood. 

An ugly mist rose from the cleaved body, filling the area around Miroku and Inuyasha in inky clouds. The air stank of a gut twisting odor…like smoking burnt human flesh, sulfur, and other nasty smells. 

Miroku started to pull the prayer beads away when the horrible smell nearly knocked him flat on the ground. He heard Inuyasha gagging only a few feet away over the monster's body. 

There was the sound of more monsters rising from the earth. Miroku began to turn, holding his hand ready, but unwilling to draw his arm away from his nose. His eyes began to water up as the smog burned his eyes. 

One of those creatures suddenly appeared in front of him, snarling and gnashing his slimy fangs.

Miroku staggered back in horror. He stumbled over the carcass of the first monster and then Inuyasha, crouched down and trying to breathe. More monsters came through the smog, ready to tear them apart. There was a long, cold second that the monk thought they were really going to 'buy the farm', as Kagome once said. 

Screams of dying villagers filled the air. 

_Damn all these things to hell…_ Miroku thought.

The moon light off cold steel streaked through the black smoke. Miroku followed it with his blurring vision as monster after monster disappeared. Screams started to become silent as the roars of perishing demons drowned them out. 

The streaks of moon light faded away, leaving Miroku, Inuyasha, and who ever was among them alone. 

A great gust of wind blew over the area, blowing away the smoke and smog. It lifted harmlessly into the air and away from the village. 

Miroku turned in a circle, once his eyes funny flushed the last of the burning fumes away. Standing scattered around the clearing was a warrior, dressed in slick armor of different colors. He finally looked to the lake, where a figure clad in dark blue lowered his arms to his side. 

"You alright?" Rowen's calm collected voice asked,

Miroku drew back his arm, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. He looked to Inuyasha. The half breed was sucking in air like a poor man finally finding water in the middle of a desert.

Strata came over, placing his gold bow back on the catch that stuck out from a box on his back. "He's not goin' to die on us, it he?" 

The monk shook his head. "No. He just needs a moment. His sense of smell is stronger than ours. Some times we get into some smelly things like this and he has been known to pass out." 

Rowen nodded, just as the face plating on his helmet parted back, revealing his face again. He looked over to Cye as he came walking from the river, dripping wet. "Did you search the other bank?" 

Torrent nodded. "Ryo got them all." He smiled weakly. "I think I should have stayed in the trees…"

"Were is Kagome?" Inuyasha wheezed. 

"With Lea. She'll get Kagome back to the village and into some dry clothes before anyone notices." 

Miroku lifted an eye brow with a smirk. "Dry clothes?" He said sweetly. "What did you do? Throw her in the lake?"

Cye sighed a little in dismay. "Hey, I wasn't going to let that horrible stuff get to her." 

"You could of drowned her you idiot!" Inuyasha snapped, getting up and balling his fists.

"Stop!" Rowen growled. "Cye's armor gives off a powerful aura that makes a field of clean air around him. He can stand at the bottom of the ocean for days."

Ryo came over to join the group. "About eight are dead." He said quietly. "I'm going to stay out with Kento and help the villagers bury them."

Miroku turned, "I'm coming too." He declared and followed the Ronin leader to the village to say prayers for the dead. 

Rowen and Cye looked at each other and suddenly turned to head back to the river. Inuyasha blinked in surprise at his abandonment. "Where are you guys going?!" He demanded. 

"To find out who these guys were working for." Cye shouted back. 

Lea leaped out of the canopy of trees, dressed in identical armor as Ryo. Inuyasha held his sword tightly as it transformed into the Steel Fang again. The Guardian didn't seem to notice as she ran up to catch the two Ronin Warriors. 

Inuyasha snarled a little as he started follow, sheathing his sword unwillingly. 

~~~~~~~~

AN--Hello! I'm making good time. I feel I made Inuyasha and Miroku too weak in the battle…sorry for all those Inu fans reading. Trust me, they'll get to kick some major demon rear. Lets hear some more reviews! I want to know what you think! Ask questions! 

PS to Ronin Lover: Sage's 'incomplete' attack in the first chapter has a purpose. I think that the last command in the guys' attacks orders the sure kill into their weapons. I made it so that Sage didn't direct the attack into his sword and built the attack into himself to shock the demon clinging too him. Anyone here remember 'Counter Attack'? when Ryo roasted Sekhmet??? He turned himself into the Flare up, and never called out the title of his sure kill. 


	7. Scroll Seven: Jewel of Four Souls and Ar...

****

Scroll Seven, Jewel of Four Souls and Armors

Cye wadded through the river, almost waist deep. He had left the search to clean the water of the blood that running into the village's only source of water. 

Inuyasha watched from the banks. "Why bother. These people deserve a plague or something once and a great while." 

Rowen was busy turning over bodies stapled in golden arrows. "We made a mess, we always clean it up if possible." He winced at one of his shots, surprised he had made a couple of nasty hits in the face. "It's also a pet peeve of Cye's. He doesn't take well to dirty water." 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and cast a dark look at Lea. The woman hadn't moved in a little over five minutes. It was really starting to bug the hell out of him as she stared off across the after math of the battle, almost in a trance. 

The half breed started to say something crude to her when she finally spoke. "There is one survivor."

Rowen looked up. "Where?" He asked.

Lea pointed down the bank to a clump of bushes. "In there."

Inuyasha stormed down the banks of the river, drawing the Tetsusaiga. Rowen hurried over to physically disarm him if he was intending to kill the creature. "We need answers! Put that damn thing away!" 

"I don't take orders from stinking humans." Inuyasha growled and continued marching. 

"But you'll take orders from a fellow demon." Lea said coldly from were she stood by the water's edge. "Kill that thing before we find out what we need and I'll smear your ashes across all of Japan." 

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder. "Before or after I cut your heart out?" 

Lea's eyes narrowed at the threat.

Rowen growled in annoyance. "Knock it off." He snapped and pulled out his bow. He reached for an arrow and loaded his weapon as he neared the bushes, gently kicking and pushing away the shrubs. 

Cye swam up river to cut the thing off if it went into water. 

"Come out you ugly creep." Rowen ordered. "Got a few questions we want answered!" 

A low and slurred grunt rose from the hedge. "Whhhhat do you hhhhummmanssss want…." 

"We're not all humans you filth." Inuyasha barked. "Get out here where I can see you!" 

The bushes shook just beside Rowen, making Strata back up as he finally spotted their target. He kept his loaded bow trained to the monster's forehead as he crawled from the hedge onto the sandy banks. 

Lea studied the damage. He was missing a leg and a few fingers…and bleeding from a shallow gash across his belly. 

"Why are you here?" Rowen asked first.

The monster grunted. "The Sssshhhhikkkkon"

Inuyasha flexed his claws. "He wants the Jewel of Four Souls. Lets just kill him." He took a step forward when the flat of Lea's sword fell across his chest. 

"You take another step and I'll make good on my threat, puppy." Lea hissed.

Inuyasha's fangs flashed at the title 'puppy'. "Wretch." He snarled.

"Thhhe jewel…" the monster winced. "You hhhhhhave it…" He reached for Rowen. 

An arrow landed just a hair short of the monster's head. "Ah-uh-ah…" Strata reloaded his bow. "Come and closer buddy and I'm gonna nail you one between the eyes." 

Inuyasha growled. "What do you mean he has it?!" 

The monster turned his eyes to the other warriors. He spoke the work Shikon over and over as he looked between Lea, Rowen, and Cye. This was really starting to burn on the dog knight's nerves. 

"Okay you poor excuse for dung…what in the seven hells do you mean that these humans have the Shikon Jewel?" 

The monster grunted weakly.

Lea took a step forward, "Rowen, keep him down." She ordered, sheathing her sword. Cye came rushing to the bank with his yari open and ready. Inuyasha growled a little as he watched the Guardian kneel on one knee and place a armor covered hand on the thing's head. 

The look of confusion in her face bothered the other Ronins. 

She pulled away from the monster and looked at Inuyasha. "What is the Shikon jewel?" 

The dog knight scoffed. "Feh…I'm not telling you! For all I know you could be here trying to take it away from us." 

Rowen growled. "Answer her!" 

"These monsters think that we are the Shikon Jewel." Lea declared in a cold voice. 

Inuyasha stared. "What? how?" 

Cye blinked several times in thought before answering. "The armors." He whispered. "It's out armors."

Lea nodded slowly. "Our armors are emitting a power almost identical to this jewel. Now…what is it? Where is it?" 

Inuyasha growled. "Kagome has a piece of it, and there are a few shards in a little jar in my room." He hissed. "I don't know why Kagome didn't notice the power from your armors since she can see the jewel shards." 

"Hey, buddy," Rowen nudged the monster with the toe of his boot. "I hava question for ya." He waited until the thing focused on him. "Do you know of any other humans that have powers of the Shikon Jewel?" 

The monster grunted. "Ffffar wesssst." He winced. "Demon woman hhhhhassss man with sssssssshhhhhhikon." 

Cye looked over to Lea. "We're in feudal Japan. That could be anyone of our ancestors." He whispered in dismay. 

Lea shook her head slowly. "No, it's Sage. The armors haven't been created yet, so there is only one set in this time for now." 

Inuyasha snarled. "Are we done yet?" 

"Impatient little bugger…" Cye muttered to Rowen. Strata smiled a little as he stepped away from the demon and started to walk away. Torrent came slowly after him. 

Lea pulled her helmet off and shook her hair back into it's usual style as she marched behind the two Ronin Warriors. Inuyasha gapped in shock. "You're not going to kill him!?" 

Rowen stopped at the top of the bank and looked skyward in annoyance. "That thing is suffering…isn't it." He muttered.

Lea bit her lip and nodded slowly. "Yeah…it is." 

Strata sighed in dismay as he lifted his loaded bow. He turned around, took aim and fired a quick end to the pain. 

Inuyasha smiled. "Much better." 

"Well it was better than what you would have done." Cye snapped. He took off his helmet and whispered something under his breath before finally leaving. Rowen put away his bow, starred distantly into the forest beyond the river and then left.

The dog knight's brow came together in confusion.

"You did not just pray…" He said in a cool voice. 

Lea glared at him. 

"Dynasty soldiers and warlords with on track minds are one thing." She said in a low voice. "Monsters and people only doing what their instincts tell them is another." 

"You are a bunch of weak fools…praying to some god."

Lea turned and walked away, rather enjoying the company of weeping wives over Inuyasha's banter. 

"They pray?" Miroku blinked in surprise.

Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah. Not as much as you do, pervert." 

The monk frowned a little. "I think that was kind of them." 

Inuyasha growled as he sat crouched on the porch of their little quarters. "They will go out and kill a horde of those monsters, and then pray for the carcass of one they put out of its misery." 

Miroku sighed in dismay. "You didn't hear them very well. For all you know they might feel guilty of killing everyone of them." He leaned on the door. "I was quite surprised to see Kento take death so seriously. He was joking around yesterday with his friend Cye." 

"What did that cretin Sanada do?" Inuyasha muttered.

"He was very quiet. I think it bothers him…not being able to stop those monsters before they killed the villagers." Miroku closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cool gray morning air. 

The dog knight snorted again.

Miroku crossed his arms. "They are right." 

"Who is? The Ronins?" 

"Yes, the Ronins." 

"Feh." Inuyasha scoffed. "Praying to a god shows how little faith you have in yourself—"

Miroku smacked the dog demon with his staff. "Damn it! Not that. They are right about that fact that we need them to find their friend as much as they need us!" He glared at Inuyasha as he nursed his aching head. "You're the only one here who isn't willing to work with them!" 

"What good are a bunch of warriors with armors that give off powers like the Shikon jewel to us!?" Inuyasha growled.

"They find out which direction we need to start looking in." Miroku protested. "At the same time it answered our questions as to why their friend Sage was pulled down the well!

"You have to stop this Inuyasha. Kagome is right when she says shadowed heroes." 

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed in thought. "How so?"

Miroku sat down beside the dog knight. "When we fist met them, I heard one of them mention the 'Neither Realm' when explaining why Lea's blood is tainted. There is a monk that calls himself 'The Ancient'. I saw him once, talking to a mission about some evil that was rising up from a world called the Neither Realm.

"Most people dismissed him as a mad man, and it was soon forgotten." The monk explained. "It wasn't until a few months ago I heard of these armored beings appearing in a village in the south. Nobody is inside them, and when they are broken, they fill the air with black mist. The monk suddenly reappeared again and started gathering forces for a battle."

Inuyasha shrugged. "So there are demons coming. Maybe we could take a detour while looking for that guy Sage and clean up the mess before it gets out of control." 

"Lady Kaede warned me to stay far away from the battle. And the same goes for you and Kagome." 

The dog knight turned in surprise. "That hag knew about it all!?" 

"And so did that samurai that passed through 8 nights ago." 

Inuyasha growled. "I don't like the way he looked at me. And the creepy thing is…that wretch Lea there looks at me the same way." 

Miroku smiled. "If you had shut up when he was talking, you would have known that his last name is Lea's middle name."

"Great." Inuyasha growled.

Miroku sighed and stretched out on the stairs of the house and closed his eyes. "I can't wait for Sango to return." He said with a warm smile on his face. 

"So you can grope her again?" Inuyasha said wickedly. 

"Unless you want me to hit you again, you'll shut up." Miroku hissed. 

Inuyasha remained crouched on the edge of the platform, watching as the sun came up into their valley. He listened for the first signs of big game to come alive so he could hunt something…

His ears flicked back to the sounds of boots on the hard wood floor. He turned his golden eyes to the corner of the building, listening as the steps remained steady. Some one was pacing. 

The dog knight crawled over the corner and peeked around to see Ryo's red and white armor clad form. He looked sorely deprived of sleep, and distressed in some way. 

A small voice stilled him in his pacing. 

"It's those nightmares again." Lea whispered, coming from inside with a blanket draped over her arm. Ryo nodded weakly, running his hand through his matted black hair. 

"I didn't think we'd be killing anyone or anything." Ryo murmured. "We've gone from one battle to the next no-stop." He sat down heavily on the edge of the porch, staring at the ground.

Lea nodded. "I know. It's getting hard on all of us." She draped the blanket in her arms over his shoulders. "The training, the close quarters…" 

Ryo sighed in dismay. "We need to find Sage. There is a fight waiting for us back in modern Tokyo." He looked up at Lea. "How long has it been since I said anything besides orders to you and the guys?"

The Guardian rubbed the Warrior's shoulders as she thought. "A little over a week." She answered.

"I know. And it doesn't make me feel any better." Ryo whispered. He looked down at his hands and flexed them slowly. Lea rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. 

"I know you don't like this guy Inuyasha since he tried to take my head off." She said gently. "I think you made your point last night and at least gained a little ground. But I want you to try and be pleasant with him. Okay? Don't let him taunt you. Walk away and not start something that will strain what little friendship we need to find Sage." 

Ryo nodded slowly. "Alright." 

Inuyasha gapped in surprise. Lea was asking Ryo to be nice to him. Who did she think she was? A peace keeper? The cold look in her eyes completely denied that thought. Was she trying to protect Ryo for his own good? Inuyasha smiled. He knew he could beat this dumb human with his little pinky if he wanted too. 

Ego Trip.

"We'll find Sage and get back to the future to deal with the Dynasty." Lea assured. 

Ryo nodded slowly. He lifted and arm and draped it over Lea's shoulders. "One of these days I'm going to make sure we can spend more than five minutes alone." 

Lea smiled as she leaned up and whispered into his ear. "We've been spied on the whole time."

Ryo looked up in surprise, and started to turn his head to glare at Inuyasha when the Guardian whispered something. He groaned a little and said something back that made Lea giggle. 

Inuyasha decided to make his escape now. He returned to his spot by Miroku, stuck out his tongue, gagging. How on earth could these humans be so sappy!? 

The monk smiled. "You eavesdropped a little too much there. I think Ryo was actually going to get up and kill you. Promise or no promise." 

Inuyasha growled. "Pervert, you looked too." He said distastefully.

"I can hear them just fine from here." Miroku said sweetly. "Though, I'm curious to know why it suddenly got so quiet."

A stone hit the back of Inuyasha's head. The dog demon hit the ground hard, growling as he looked up to see Ryo standing at the corner of the building, livid. "Don't you have a tree to mark you mangy mutt." 

Inuyasha growled at the Ronin leader's retreating back. Ryo slipped into his room he was sharing with the other Ronin Warriors, and closed the door shut behind him. 

Miroku blinked a little in surprise. "Woah…what was that all about?" 

Inuyasha snorted and marched away to kill something. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN—Ego Trip. ~_^ \/.. There was going to be something else in this chapter, but I left it out fo a later one. BTW…the whole thing about the Ronins being just a little religious…ah…heh…it's something that came out of my other novels. Miroku will get it out of Cye and Kento later just for all you confused readers. 


	8. Scroll Eight: Search Party

****

Scroll Eight, Search Party

By the time Inuyasha had returned, the rest of the village was up and moving. He slank carefully to the house he left a few hours ago, finding Miroku was scarce. 

Kagome was sitting on the edge of the porch ajusting her bow…and much to the Dog Knight's distaste, so was that dark blue Ronin Warrior. He stood there with his huge golden bow, the only piece of his armor present and was showing the young girl ways to hold it and aim. 

"Here," Rowen held out his bow. "Let me see your's for a second." He picked up the wooden bow and unhooked the cord to see if the stick was weak in any areas. "You see, a bow can work really good as a sheild or a warpped staff."

Kagome nodded as she held the heavy gold bow of the Strata armor. "How can you hold this thing?" She asked. "It's so heavy…and…" She managed to lift it up and tried to pull on the cord. "The cord is so tight…"

Rowen shrugged. "I don't notice it." He muttered, looping a new end to Kagome's cord and then hooking her bow back together. Strata tested it's pull and then handed it to it's owner. "There, that should be enough. You have pretty good arms, your cord was too loose." 

Kagome started to pull at her bow. It was difficult in coming. "This won't make things better…" She muttered. "I can barely hold it."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Means your aim is only going to get worse." 

Rowen looked up and shot a cold threating look at the demon. "She does pretty good." He said in a cool voice that dared Inuyasha to challenge his statement. He turned back to Kagome. "I know it might seem hard for now, maybe you should carry another, looser, bow on you until you get the feel of this one."

"What good does tighting the cord do?" Kagome asked, still trying to pull it far enough back.

"Well it gives the arrow more push and makes it go farther. If your bow became as tight as mine, at close range you could fire clear through your taget." 

Kagome shuddered just a little at the thought. "Have you ever had to—"

"A few times." Rowen said as he picked up his bow and it suddenly disappeared. "The bastard kinda desevered it anyway. Sad thing is, I didn't kill him."

Inuyasha scoffed as he climbed up the steps. "Coward."

Kagome growled. "SIT BOY!" 

The dog demon went face first into the wooden floor boards. He snarled as he reached up to his face and gingerly touched his splinter filled snout. The moment his ears stop ringing he could hear Rowen laughing.

"Ah stick it up your—"

Kagome put her hands on her hips. "Inuyasha!" She barked. "Ss—"

Rowen put a hand on her shoulder. "Nah, forget it. Let him curse." He smiled a little and tapped his nose as he winked at the canine. "Enjoy getting those splinters out." 

Inuyasha growled in a seething rage as the Ronin Warrior walked away. 

He snapped at Kagome, "What the hell was that for!?" 

"They are our friends! And unlike you, they don't think to kill ever person or monster they run into." Kagome growled. 

Inuyasha snarled a little. "Yeah…thanks for pointing that out." He sat crouched on the floor trying to dig a splinter from his nose. "Well if that one is up, were the are the rest of those pathetic Ronin Warriors?" 

Kagome sighed in dismay at Inuyasha's lack of kindness. "Most of them got up really earily. I think it had been just as the sun started to peak into the valley that Cye, Kento, Rowen, and Lea began moving around." 

The dog knight growled. "And Sanada?" 

"I don't know. His tiger won't let anyone near the room that the men slept in last night…well, give or take the Ronins themselves."

Inuyasha yelped as he finally pulled the silver of wood from his nose. "I over heard him very earily in the morning. He is prone to nightmares." The half breed felt his reddening nose for more splinters. "I think his _girlfriend_ found some way to make him sleep again." 

Kagome glared at Inuyasha. "They are not a couple." 

Her protest was answered with a scoff. "Does the line 'One of these days I'm going to make sure we can spend more than five minutes alone.' mean anything but that?"

Kagome blinked several times in surprise. "He…he really said that?" 

Inuyasha nodded. "While giving her a hug and all that other sappy stuff you humans do. If he kissed her, I swear, I was going to cough up a lung."

Kagome sat down on a sack of grain that was sitting in the corner of their room. She looked down at the bow in her hands. If everything Inuyasha said was true, then maybe there would be a small chance that she and Inuyasha might…might…Oh what was she thinking?! She couldn't fall in love with some half wit who only wanted to get more power and nothing but. 

"Why are you suddenly so quiet?" Inuyasha asked in a hushed voice.

"I'm…ah…thinking…" 

Inuyasha growled a little. He was glad Miroku was missing, the demon looked like he was picking his nose while removing splinters. He finally got the last one. "Well…ah…think a little louder please." He said quietly. _Man, I hate it when she gets that quiet. _

Kagome looked up. "Inuyasha—"

"Yes?" He turned around quickly and took a few steps froward. He crouched down on the floor in front of her. 

"Um…do you think that we might…" 

"Might what?" 

Kagome couldn't tell if she was staking all over or flushed. "Might be a—"

Inuyasha leaned forward until Kagome swore he was going to kiss her. 

"Am I interupting something?" Miroku asked pleasantly. 

Kagome screamed in surprise and gave Inuyasha a hard smack across the head. The dog demon hit the floor covering his sore noggin as the monk stood by the door with a wicked smile on his face. "Sango has returned." 

"Kagome!" Shippo cried as he appeared from behind Miroku. 

Sango stepped in and looked at the group with confussion masked on her face. "Who was that strange woman in armor helping the wives with their wood cutting?" She leaned her large boomarange in the corner by Kagome and was starting to pull off minor items from her battle suit. 

"Oh, that's Lea." Kagome informed. "You should meet. I think you might get along with her great."

There was the sounds of a paws on the wooden floor. Shippo ran to the door and looked out to see the large white tiger coming from around the corner and to the room, smelling the air.

"AAAAhhhhhh!!" Shippo squealed and ran back into the room. "A TIGER!" 

Sango picked up one of her daggers and started for the door when Miroku grabbed her arm and held her back. "No! Things are already strained with Inuyasha's kill first ask questions later actions. The tiger shouldn't hurt anyone." He waited until the large white beast stuck his head into the room and took a sniff. 

Inuyasha growled a little. "Get out!" He snapped. 

Whiteblaze flashed his fangs at the dog demon and came forward to sniff again at Sango's leg. He stepped back and roared. 

"What is going on!?" Sango cried, recoiling from Whiteblaze with a startled Miroku. The sounds of thundering boots filled the air and shouts from outside. Ryo was the first to answer since he was so close, coming into the room.

He froze. "A ninja?" He asked, refering to Sango. 

"N-no…" Kagome studdered. "Sango's a friend. Whiteblaze came in all of the sudden, took a sniff and then roared at her." 

Lea, Kento, Cye, and Rowen appeared next. "Is everything alright?" Cye asked. "What's wrong?" 

Ryo ordered Whiteblaze to sit, which the tiger obeyed. He apporched Sango and offered his hand. "Sorry. Why did he roar?" 

Sango shook her head. "I don't know. He took a sniff at my leg…"

"The one you injured." Shippo pointed out. "Remember that demon tooka chunck out of you? We found some cloth and made a bandage."

"Do you mind if I see?" Ryo asked, appearently not affected from the lack of sleep he had. Sango reached down to the cuff of her pants and pulled them upto revel a calf covered in blood soaked bandage. It was plain white, making it easy for the drabble of scarlet to stand out. 

"I don't see why Whiteblaze would be so upset." Cye informed. "Though I have heard of other reasons tigers and loins are agravated when around women…"

"But Whiteblaze never had a problem around Lea and Mia." Kento pointed out. 

Kagome watched as Lea stroked Whieblaze's large head. She froze suddenly, casting her eyes to Sango's leg. "Ryo…Whiteblaze smells Sage's blood." She whispered in horror. 

"Sango, here, lets get some fresh bangage on that." Miroku pulled over a bench. "Shippo, get some water." 

Cye disappeared from the room, coming back with a sheet in the process of being torn to ribbons. "I sent for Lady Kaede to bring some herbs. Let's see if this is really bad."

Sango held up her hands in protest. "WAIT A MINUTE!" She ordered. "Who the hell are these people?" She demanded. "I'm not having total stangers tend my wounds when I can do it myself." 

"They're Ronin Warriors." Kaede said as she entered. "And they are allies now because they have come through the well with Kagome to save a friend." 

Sango blinked in surpise. She took one look at Cye's red hair. "They can't be here looking for the man who the demons think are the Shikon jewel!" She whispered. "The one with sun colored hair?" 

Ryo straitened just a little. "Tell us everything…What ever you have seen or know about him."

"It's moving fast through the forest." Sango said as she sipped at her tea. "I didn't believe the rumors when I heard. When traveling to a village far west, I stumbled apon a back of demons all squabling over some cave. When I had finished the battle and taken some names and asked why they where there…" Sango sighed, "They mentioned that some demon woman had stolen away the Shikon jewel in the body of a young man with sun colored hair. 

"There was a small cell deep in the cave, with broken shackles and a torn up tunic." Sango explained. "I was bleeding and in despreate need of something to stop it. So I tore up the shirt, even when it was stained with a little blood from it's previous wearer and made a bandage."

Lea looked over to Ryo, her hands clenched in her lap. "I'm getting some serious bad vibes." 

Rowen stood up. "We can't waste any more time." He informed. "And accordin' to some scouts in the village, there are more monsters comin' around the village. They might try to attack again at night fall." 

"The village was attacked?" Shippo asked. "What happened? Why?" 

Inuyasha growled. "Our new _friends _have armors that those monsters think are the Shikon jewel." 

Kagome blinked in surprise. "Then why and I not noticing it?" 

Cye shook his head. "That's not important. The fact is that the demons can and we're a risk to the people here in this village." Torrent informed. "I think we should pack up and start off before the sun sets and get some distance between us and these people."

Lea leaned over to Kagome. "I sensed your powers when you first ran into me." She explained. "I've been using mine to mask our armor's powers. I'll drop it down if you like." 

"Can I see just how much your armors really give off for power?" 

Lea waved her hand to the ground and with out warning, their aura's became visible to Kagome. They were incredably bright and strong, full of power and life. The demons were really thinking these Ronins were the Jewel of Four Souls. 

It stopped suddenly. Kagome turned to Lea. "No kidding. Each one of you emmits enough power to be one whole jewel!" 

Lea nodded. "I'm doing this to save you from a nasty headache." The two of them focused back on the conversation at hand. 

"How long will it take to get a raft loaded?" Kento asked. 

"Maybe an hour." Miroku informed. 

Ryo nodded. "Then let's get going." He ordered, getting up. "Is there anyone in village with a raft?" 

Sango nodded. "The one I came in on could be restocked and ready. Though, I'm not sure if there is enough room for such a large group." 

"We can go by trees." Cye explained. "And I can swim for miles using my armor." 

Rowen nodded. "All we need is somethin' to get us out of here fast and then we can take things on a slower pace when we are far enough from the village that we know the people will be safe." 

Inuyasha snarled. "How many of you are going?" He asked.

Ryo stood with his arms crossed and eyes glued to a wall. The look of untamed hate in his eyes was like fire. He dared the demon to challenge his answer. "We're all going." 

"Big Surprise." Inuyasha muttered as he got up and left. 

"Here are some herbs in case anyone is injured." Kaede held out the pouch to the group. Cye slung the package's strap over his head so it hung down his back and out of his way. 

Rowen and Kento waited for Inuyasha's party to climb on the raft, and together the two fo them pushed it off into the running water as it floated down stream. The Ronins suddenly disappeared into the trees and were gone. 

Inuyasha growled a little. "I hate it when they do that." 

Miroku shurgged. "I think it's an interesting ablity to move that fast. Feeling a little intemadated by the fact they more as fast as you?" 

"Faster." Inuyasha muttered. "I can't follow them as well as I usually can." 

Kagome smiled a little. "It's not that bad Inuyasha. With them along, we can find Sage and be back to locating Shikon shards before we know it." 

Inuyasha shook his head a little. "I don't know." He said quietly. "With all those demons thinking they are the Shikon jewel…I think we're going to be held up a lot." 

Sango nodded a little. "The hordes of demons looking for Sage's body was unbelieveable. I think we should keep our guard up at all times." 

Miroku sighed a little as they floated down the river. He caught a quick flash of Cye and Lea as they came down onto the banks for a moment, like running when times just stopped and then they disappeared again. 

"I have a very bad feeling about this." He whispered. "I think Naruko will soon be deeply invovled with our search." 


	9. Scroll Nine: Evasion into Enemy Hands

****

Scroll Nine, Evasion into Enemy Hands

A monsterous roar filled the evening air. 

His eyes opened with a start. Before he had a chance to focus, the man jumped out the tree he was resting in and bolted through the dark forest. That monster was too close. 

Sage cursed at his lack of awareness. He kept running, careful not to get into a ticket that might tear his sandles from his feet. There had to be a away for him to move fast with out leaving a trail behind. 

It was the second night he had gone with out sleep. The Ronin Warrior of light knew he was running a very serious risk escaping from people that were keeping him safe from those hordes of demons that demanded for him. Why? What was so important about him? Sage could only reason that it was his armor. 

He leaped over a small creek and kept running. 

_There must be a village or shelter around here somewhere! _Sage thought as he slowed down just a little bit. He winced a little at the painful stitch in his side. He then stopped in a clearing, looking around as he rubbed his bare arms. 

At this rate, he was going to die from exposure. 

_I shouldn't have left my shirt behind. But the blood would have been too strong a smell for those hounds of hers. _Sage shivered as he tried to see in the moon light clearing. Where on earth did he go that was as far away from Jassaya? He looked up to the small gap in the canopy above. He could make out a few constellations…he wasn't totally lost. 

_Maybe I should head east to the region of Toyko. _Sage thought as he looked in that direction. He had been running southward for a day and two nights. 

_No Sage…that's not going to work you idiot! If that woman knows anything, its that she sucked me threw a well in that same area. She knows I know it too. She'll have something up there to cut me off. _Sage turned a little and glanced south. 

He started walking carefully through the woods, keeping his eyes trained to the shadows as he walked. A mouse would scurry across his path and an owl hooted distantly. All he needed was to hear that vampire moster's wail and he would start running. 

Sage kept reaching into his pocket for his armor crystal. But much to the Ronin Warrior's dislike, it was there. He would have donned the armor of Halo by now and taken out every monster in his path back to the Toyko region to find that well he was pulled into. 

Sage froze for a second, taking another sniff at the air. 

Smoke…

From a camp fire…and laced with insence. 

Sage started running again, careful as he finally saw the trees thin around him. He slowed down to a stealthy walk as he saw the first signs of civilization in a week. 

There was people, samurai…houses and fire. Sage breathed a sigh of sweet relief. He looked farther across the small village to see the walls of a fedual castle just beyond it. Sage swore his luck was starting to run out. He was at a militray post with a Daiymo present. This was better than he hoped for. 

Slowly, Sage walked from the forest, apporching a pair of Samurai that stood on the main road. They turned to him and stood ready for their weapons as the stange man with yellow hair neared them. 

Halo held up his hands, not only to show he was weaponless and meant no harm, but the red welts and cuts around his wrist from the rusty shackles. 

"Who apporches, state your name and your business." 

Sage bowed a little. "I'm Date Seiji. I'm a member of the Date clan in the capital and in desperte need of help. I'm being prusuded by people who kidnapped me a week ago. I have no weapons, horse, anything of value and this is all I still have left for clothing." He held out his hands to the samurai. "I beg for sancturay." 

The two gaurds inspected Sage's wrists. "Harsh." One of them whispered. He took a good look at Sage's neek at the bite mark in his skin. "What did that?" the other asked. 

"One of my kidnappers, had a snake that bit me. I was rendered unable to move for three days." Sage explained. 

The lead Samurai reached for his cloak and pulled it off. "Here," He offered it to Sage. "Before you catch something. I'll send for an escort to bring you to the palace." 

"Captain Toruoko," A calm voice called. "He can return with me at once." 

The three men turned to see a regal looking young man on a horse and surrounded by guards. His long black hair rolled down his back and voliet robes were traced in gold. 

The two samurai bowed. "My lord." They said together. Sage instantly bowed in respect to the young man who rode his horse closer. Halo kept his head down as the lord studied him closely. 

"He says he was kidnapped a week ago and just escaped." The captain explained. "He requests sancutary from his prusuers." 

The lord smiled warmly at Sage. "Please, come, stay with me in the palace until your captors have been apprehended. I'll send a messanger ahead to prepare food and fresh clothing for you." 

Sage bowed again slowly. "Thank you your highness." He whispered. He was suddenly startled to see the lord climb off his horse and offer it to the Ronin Warrior. 

"Please, you may ride on my horse. If you've been running all day, you must want to be off your feet." 

Sage gulped a little before saddling up. He nervously held the saddle horn in his cold hands as the escort and the lord marched back to the palace. He couldn't believe the odd luck he was having with these people. But he was safe from Jassaya and her demons. 

******

Sango leaned in. "What happened!?" She demanded. 

"Well, after Ryo was captured and I was left for dead in the bottom of the canon…I had broken my leg in the fall and almost cracked my head open if it hadn't been for my helmet." 

"And then?" Kagome whispered in horror. 

"I almost died." Rowen explained, he smiled a little and waved to Lea. "It was pure luck Lea and our friend Anubis turned around and road out across the desert and found me." 

Lea nodded slowly. "Had we been another hour, Rowen would have died." She added.

Miroku frowned. "What about Ryo. He had been captured by that shape shifting demon by then hadn't he?" 

Cye cleared his throat. "Once we had regrouped and made sure Rowen would make it, Sage and Kento when into the fort nearby to see if Ryo was locked away in the dungeons." 

Kento interupted. "We found out Ryo had been taken to the Palace of Rahilko, meaning we now had to fight the princess of Limbo to get him back. We also made a new ally that night with a warlord that tried to kill Lea the year before." 

Kagome and Sango turned to each other in surprise. Shippo gasped in amusment and leaped into Lea's lap. "I want to hear that one!" He declared. "Was he an evil man."

The Ronins suddenly became quiet. Cye, Kento, and Rowen looked over to the Guardian as she blinked in unmistakeable horror at the demand. 

Lea's stiffened a little. "Uh…I really um…" 

Rowen laughed and picked Shippo up. "Hey, I'll tell you a cool story about how I saved Sage and Lea from falling off the highest tower of the Limbian Palance." 

Kagome glanced at Sango in surprise. That was a quick change of subject. Inuyasha growled a little as Rowen started to tell Shippo about his story, with Kento and Cye interupted with jokes. The half demon spoke up, bringing a hush to the group around the fire. 

"I want to hear about that warlord." He said. 

Lea glared at him. "Why would it matter to you?" She asked darkly.

"How close did he come to killing you." 

Kento scratched his head and sighed a little. "Look, I exagerated a little on that. He didn't try to kill her…as much as he made it look like he did." Hardrock thought for a moment before speaking when Rowen said something harshly in a dialect of japanese that was directed at Inuyasha. 

The demon flashed a toothy smile. "Really? You don't seemed to tickled about that." 

"None of us were you idiot!" Cye barked, apparently he understood what Rowen had said. "We treat each other like family. And when stuff like that happens, it really ticks us off." 

Inuyasha looked over to Lea. "And how did Sanada take to it." 

Lea glared at him. "The same way everyone else did." She hissed. 

The dog knight laughed. "Yeah right. I bet he wanted to tear that guy to pieces. Wouldn't want anything to happen to his presious guardian angel." 

Lea shot up, her eyes darkening. "Don't you ever call me that again!" She snarled. "I'm not some damn angel! I'm a fighter like everyone else here." 

Miroku blinked a little in surprise. He leaned into Cye. "She doesn't take well to that…does she." 

Cye turned a little to reply. "Lea hates it when people refer to her as some angel. It makes her feel weaker…needed to be protected. It's the warrior in her." He looked up as Lea said something to Rowen and then walked away from the fire. 

"Where is she going?" 

"She's gone to take the rest of Ryo's watch and hers." Rowen answered as he looked down at Shippo, still sitting on his knee. "You want to hear the rest of that story?" 

"Yeah!" Shippo cried. 

Miroku stood up. "I'm going to the stream for a few minutes." He was answered by Cye jumping to his feet. "I'm coming too." He declared, and followed the monk away from the camp fire. 

Sango frowned a little. "Well…since everyone is busying themselves…I think I'm going to join Lea for a while." She picked up her boomerang and walked off the trail that the Guardian had taken a minute ago. 

Kagome glared at Inuyasha. "You mister, fallow me!" She hissed.

Inuyasha blinked in surprise and followed just out of earshot of Rowen, Kento, and Shippo. She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Can you try and not get on anyone's nerves!?" She hissed. 

"It was a harmless question!" Inuyasha protested.

"Lea didn't want to talk about and neither did the others! What did they tell you!?" Kagome demanded. 

Inuyasha scoffed. "Some warlord captured Lea, made her trust him while she was in prison and then used that trust to break her will. Something along the lines of a rape scare." 

Kagome blinked in horror. "Oh my god." She whispered. "Rrraa—" She looked up at Inuyasha in shock. "Why in the world did you kid about that!? You were laughing at her the whole time why you asked how Ryo took it! How could you be so cruel!"

Inuyasha sighed in dismay. "Look, Kagome, I'm trying not to like these guys!" 

The young woman took a step back in surprise. "What?" 

The dog demon growled. "I'm sorta warming up to them…but I still hate Ryo." He hissed. "And I'm not ready to trust Lea with my life yet." 

"Why on earth do you hate him so much?" Kagome asked. "He's done nothing mean to you besides protect his friends and his own honor." 

Inuyasha crouched down and growled. "He is just too much of a hero." He stuck his tounge out in distaste. "I like good guys, but he is way too good." 

Kagome sighed a little. "I talked to Lea eailier. She told me that Ryo and her have more powers than the other Ronins." She explained. "They had a much more powerful armor that is made when they combine theirs with four more. This whole rescue mission is not only to save a friend but Sage is a vital part to the guy's team." 

Inuyasha looked up. "So…with out Sage…Ryo can't make this other armor?" 

Kagome nodded. "He can't call it at will like Lea can." She informed. "There are other armors the Ronin Warriors can work with…but Sage and everyone here are a close knit family."

She frowned a little and then said. "You hate Ryo because he has the same authority as you." 

Inuyasha scoffed.

Kagoem kneeled down by the dog knight and smiled. "I'm right!" she declared.

Inuyasha turned a little, starting to growl at her when he realized she was so close. He blinked at Kagome, studying her face, the way the fire light cast a gentle gleam on her hair and face as she smiled at him. 

He really liked that smile. 

The dog knight started to lean forward when a shout interupted them. 

"Inuyasha!" Ryo called. "We've got a demon pinned down in the swamp!" 

The half demon looked up and huffed in frustration. "I'm coming!" He snapped, getting up from his crouch and starting back to the camp fire when he looked back at Kagome. "You coming?" 

Kagome came out of her shock. "Uh…yeah." 

******

Sage sighed a little in relief, having finally dressed in warm clothes and a hot meal in front of him. The young lord that had invited him was sitting on a raised platform smiling warmly at Halo as he ate in silence. 

"You are very strange, but very formal." The lord informed.

Sage nodded. "Thank you." He said, setting down his tea. "My grandfather was strict in teaching us the old ways." 

The lord bowed his head a little in agreement. "Very good to hear that Seiji." He smiled. "That is a rather nice name…but why do I feel there are people who call you by another?" 

Sage folded his hands in his lap. "My friends, way up north call me Sage. I'm sorry my lord, but I haven't learned your name yet." 

The lord smiled. "Most people here are very formal. But since you had the courtacy of sharing your second name, I shall share mine…I'm Naruko." 

Halo was starting to reach for his tea again when he stopped. 

His mind was shot back into the cave…hours before her escaped. 

_My lady, what of the demon lord? He is rumored to have shards of the Shikon jewel…won't he come for the man? _

_If Naruko wants to challenge me for the warrior, I'll fight him even if it will cost me my soul. Until then, our guest is safe from that cad Naruko. _

Naruko…

Naruko…

Naruko! 

Sage dropped the tea cup in his hand. It landed with a clatter on the wooden floor, hot tea spilling into a wet brown puddle and clay pieces from the cup shattering into it's placid face. 

Sage jumped to his feet. "Naruko the demon lord!?" 

Naruko looked up in surprise. "You've heard of me?" 

Sage backed up slowly, noting quickly he had to find some shoes before he started running. "My kidnappers…they said that you might come to fight them for me…what the hell do they mean by that!?" 

Naruko rose up and smiled. "I've heard of the Lady Jassaya…bandit of the western hills. It was rumored she caught a young man from the future with powers of the Shikon jewel."

"Shikon? You mean…the Jewel of Four souls they wrote in legends!?" Sage blinked in surprise. "That's impossible! I'm a Ronin Warrior! I have nothing of the such." 

Naruko smiled, a cold and dark smile. "Your arua speaks other wise." 

Sage wanted a weapon…he reached for his pocket…but there was no chance his armor crystal would be there. Jassaya had it. And Sage already needed to return and get it back. 

"Now…I also heard from a singing little bird that there are now five more people and a white tiger in this age with such powers like yours." Naruko explained. "They are traveling from the village in the Edo region with the half demon Inuyasha and the presitess's reincarnation looking for their lost friend…a sun colored hair man with voliet eyes." 

Sage almost smiled with relief. Ryo was coming with the guys, Lea, and Whiteblaze. 

"You are a wanted man, Date Sage." Naruko neared, drawing his sword carefully. "Every demon from here to Edo wants your hide…we are all puzzled as to why you emmit the powers of the Shikon jewel." 

"The only people I'm going to come willingly with are my friends." Sage informed. "And you just said they are looking for me!" 

"They might never find you." Naruko smiled. "You seem to keep changing hands…" 

Sage growled as he stanced. "I'm not going to be anyone's pawn! If I have to let myself be captured to to get closer to them I will!" 

Naruko studied his blade. "Tell me, Sage, just how well did Jassaya treat you? Shackled down to a cold hard cave floor for three days and under the effects of some demon's venom. I heard she was looking for a mate four months ago…" He looked up at Sage. "You seem to be a rather decent pick if you asked me." 

Sage glared at the demon lord. "I probably owe you my life. But I'm not going to became your slave next!" 

Naruko shook his head. "I'm afraid, I couldn't keep you very long." He whispered. "There is a demonic power radiating from the south. Forces are gathering behind the shield of some monk to stop it.

"Things would not be as deserprate as they are now." The demon lord explained. "If this power becomes stronger and intends to take us over…you may be the only force we have to stop it."

Sage shook his head. "The legend says the jewel of Four souls grant wishes and power to those who want it." He growled. "I can't do either!" 

Naruko smiled devilously. "But you would make a wonderful soldier to save us if needed." 

Halo growled. "I can't do that without my armor…and Jassaya has that!" 

Naruko nodded. "Then I will remdey the situtation…and I think it would be in my interest to allow Jassaya to come stay in the palace." 

"You do that and I will run away again, even if she has my armor!" 

Naruko smiled. "You ran away and forgot it once. I don't think you could do it twice. I saw the look in your eyes when I offered to fix that problem. This armor she has of yours must has some speical meaning to you." 

Sage felt the tension leave his arms. He couldn't turn down this only chance to get his armor back. At least Naruko didn't lock him up at first sight. But to invite Jassaya here to share in the profit of his slavery…Sage's slavery…

"Alright…" Sage whispered in defeat, lowering his hands to his side and straitening. "You have to promise one thing." 

"Name it and I shall think about it." Naruko informed.

Sage sighed. "I can't get sick again…I'm using all my power to prevent it from happening since I was locked in a cold cave for three days. I would be completely healed of these." Halo showed his wrists. "Whatever you do…you must consider how it is going to effect my health." 

Naruko nodded. "Very well then. But you are forbidin to live the palace walls." 

Sage lowered his head slowly. _I'll stay and get my armor back…but once I do, there is nothing stopping me from finding the guys and getting the hell out of here. _

~~~~

AN: Here is the long awaited for chapter about Sage. Pretty mild…sorry bout that. But things will get back to the whole mess with Jassaya soon enough. How many of you think getting sage's armor back is going to be easy? Hehe…there wouldn't be a story to go on if he escape now! Right? J 


	10. Scroll Ten: Open Combat

****

~~~AN: Okay, spare me the flames about my spelling. For some reason my Word program has stop checking my spelling mistakes and I'n doing my best to catch them. As for the spelling of Kento's name…you night as well start flaming the hell out of everyone else who does that cause I've seen a lot of people spell Kento's name differently. I haven't been to Theria's in a long time, but that doesn't matter. And so far, I've only used the YST names once for Sage encounter's Nararko. Until I can fix the settings on Word, there maybe some spelling mistakes I've missed. 

Scroll Ten, Open Combat

"I heard that you study a religion?" Miroku asked. 

Cye shrugged. "It's nothing much. None of us really cared for it until things got really bad, and we had no choice but to kill our enemy. A few here and there would be okay…but when it came to doing it all the time…even to survive…" Cye trailed off. 

"I see." Miroku nodded. "So you don't follow it very well then?" 

Cye shook his head slowly. "No. Some of the time we visit a chruch to confess…without spilling out the whole truth. Have you ever felt guilty about killing someone?" Torrent asked.

Miroku frowned. "A few times." He answered. "All of you I take it?" 

Cye smiled a little. "It took Ryo the longest." 

"Really!" the monk turned his head to the red headed man. "Why?" 

Cye shrugged as he kept pace with the group. "I don't know. I personally think it was the idea he didn't want to look weak. I mean, Ryo is our leader, and you know leaders had this feeling of trying to look just a little stronger."

Miroku nodded. "So how did you all come to finding out?" 

Cye laughed a little. "I was out of the town with Kento, going clubing. Ryo had gone out earilier, Lea had gone with him. We stumbled by a church when the two of them walked out. It was quiet funny, then we all went out for drinks and stuff…It was the first time in a week Ryo was joking and laughing again." 

The monk soberly asked, "What was the one battle you wished you could go back too?" 

Cye took a deep breath as he thought, flexing his hands as he did. "Uh…Oh christ…It would have to be the one my sister was nearly killed in." Torrent whispered. "I was attacked on my family's skipper by the Dynasty. My mother was safely locked in boiler room with a family friend…my sister came out into the open when I was try to handle the situation myself…she got hit in the head and knocked into the water." 

Miroku smiled a little before asking, "Is she pretty?" 

Cye got him a look. "I heard from Sango you are a bit of a pervert." 

The monk held up his wrapped hand. "Hey, I might not have long to live. I need a wife to bear my child so that my battle with that monster that put this void in my family's blood line will be stopped." He whimpered in mock fright. "It's all I have left to live for…"

"Yeah. Right." Cye scoffed and hurried ahead to Rowen. 

Kagome smiled as she came to stand by Miroku. "Nice try. But I don't think you're going to have much luck with these guys." 

"Ah," Miroku said proudly. "There is still that dashing young woman Lea. I have yet to try my charms on her." 

Kagome paled. "Uh…Miroku…I don't think that is a good idea." 

But the monk was already speeding ahead to catch up with the raven haired guardian. 

Inuyasha frowned a little. "He's gonna be sore tomorrow." 

"Who do you think is going to beat him up?" Kagome asked. 

The dog knight snuffed. "Feh…" 

*******

Climbing up the tree had been a nice change from walking. Lea decided against using her armor's super human skills and scaled the tree the way a little kid would. She reached the first branch and sat down, with on leg handing off the limb and her hands wrapped around herself. 

The lake glittered in the evening moon light. It vaguely reminded the Guardian of the Ronin Manor. In fact…the more Lea looked, she confrimed the feeling that they were standing on the grounds of the Koji Estate 600 years before it would ever be built. 

An owl hootted distantly, followed by the howl of some wolves. She smiled a little, knowing that Whiteblaze was out hunting down his meal for the evening and would steal whatever the wolves were chasing right out from under them. 

"Well, hello little bird." 

Lea blinked in surprise and looked down to see Miroku smiled at her from the ground. The monk frowned a little as he studied the height Lea was at. "How did you get up there?" He asked.

"I didn't use my armor's high jumping skills, if that is what you wanted to know." She rolled over and fell from the branch, landing lightly on her own two feet in front of the monk. "Comes in handy when you want to get down though." She smiled. 

Miroku grinned. "So, why so far from camp?" 

Lea crossed her arms and shrugged, looking back to the lake. "I had a feeling this is the grounds of the house we all live in back in our time." 

The monk blinked in surprise and looked around. "Really? Is it still this pretty?" 

Lea nodded. "You can see cannos and fishermen on the lake during the day. We have a small dock built off the banks with a small row boat and swimming gear." She tried to picture the wooden planks streaching into the water. It was strange to think that in a few centueries that she would be diving off them trying to save Ryo from drowning just a week after she joined the Ronin Warriors.

"This is all just really strange to be standing here." She said quietly. "To see this all in raw natural beauty of it all. Sage would be utterly amazed if he was here." 

"Would he now?" Miroku asked. 

Lea nodded. "Knowing him, he'd go look for that tree he usually meditates in." She frowned. "It's a pretty old tree too." 

Miroku smiled a little. "Want to try and find yourself?" 

The Guardian shook her head. "No. It's been a while since I've been at the Manor. I was in fact leaving for New York when Sage disappeared. We had flights to cancel and everything before we came looking for him, or else we'd have been here sooner and on a fresh trail." 

The monk nodded, taking a step forward to stand a little closer to her. "You're not afraid of those monster that are following us?" 

Lea shook her head. "Let them come. We did a pretty good job last night holding one down in the swamp. Too bad it couldn't help us." 

Miroku drapped and arm over her shoulders. "Don't worry. There has to be more around that might help us." 

The Guardian reached up and removed his arm. "I'm picking up some strange energy close by that might be one. I keep sensing the jewel in three different locations. Kagome, Inuyasha, and another that is just a little ways off."

"You look really pretty in this light." The monk whispered.

Lea shot him an amused look. "Okay, what the hell do you want?" She asked. 

"Oh…maybe you're company for the evening?" 

The Guardian's eyes narrowed. "Why?" 

Miroku took a step forward and tried to kiss her. Lea ducked down and flipped him onto his back, her foot at his neck. "Woah!" The Guardian held his staff at his chest as she moved her foot away. "Don't think about doing that again." 

"I hate to ask now…but are you even single?" 

Lea scoffed, "Single? I haven't been single in four years." 

"Then who is the lucky man that's cast his spell on you?" 

"Knock it off with the sweet talk." The Guardian ordered. "It's—"

"Me." Ryo's voice said sternly. "And for your own sake, don't touch her again. I have a tendancy to pound the snot out people who do." 

Miroku nodded in agreement. "Ah, sure!" He got up, dusting himself off and was starting to walk away when he noticed Lea still had his staff. He flashed a nervous smile as Ryo came from the shadows to stand next to Lea with a dark, yet amused look in his eyes. 

The monk too a few daring steps towards Lea, quickly grabbed his staff. He was about dart off when he planted a quick kiss on her cheek and bolted like the wind as Ryo shouted a curse and threw a stick at the running monk. 

Lea laughed. "Oh god Ryo, his is harmless now." She patted him on the chest as she held him back from prosuing the escaping offender. "Come on, lets find that spot on the lake you like so much." 

Ryo huffed in a threat to Miroku's life, and turned to look out at the water. "You know what, I think it's fine right here." He whispered, kissing Lea to silence when she started to ask a question. 

Miroku sighed in dismay from the bushes up the hill as he rubbed his sore shoulder. Ryo had good aim when it came to throwing stuff at people. Cye was suddenly next to him laughing. "You idiot." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"You only asked about my sister. Not Lea." Cye smiled sweetly. "I suggest you stay really low when Ryo and Lea get back to camp." 

Miroku gulped. "It was a harmless kiss!" 

Cye would just stared at him. 

"Ah…" Miroku whispered. "Well…so much for this. I'd better get back to working out my problem's with Sango again." 

Cye raised and eye brow in surprise. "You are after her too?" 

"Yeah…and Kagome. If she ever gives up on wanting Inuyasha." 

Cye blinked. "No!" He whispered. "Really?!"

Inuyasha stuck out his tounge, coughing as if he was going to gag.

Sango gave him a swat over the head. "I think that was sweet, knock it off!" She hissed as they marched back into camp. Kagome was still a little out of it as she followed them.

"See? I told you they were a couple!" The dog knight growled. "Yuck. Just how in the seven hells do you see that as romantic!" 

Sango growled. "If you would stop basting romance for a minute and think like a human being…you'll see that love is a very important thing to us!" 

"You're a woman. It only matters to you." Inuyasha snapped. 

Kagome looked up. "What about your parents. They loved each other enough to have you." 

Inuyasha stilled a little. He was unprepared for such a statement. He growled a little. "I don't know what the hell she sees in him!" 

"I do." Sango smiled as she closed her eyes and sat down. "I think Ryo is awefully hansom." 

Inuyasha replied, "Blah…" 

Kagome shurgged. "I don't know. I think Lea hated him at one point. Four years is a really long time to be together." The young girl said quietly. "And with all they've had to live through it must be really hard." 

"Yap, yap, yap." Inuyasha snarled. "Love reeks." He climbed to his feet and santered off to work it out of his system. Kento was standing on the edge of the clearing with a load of fire wood, appearantly surpried at the topic of debat. 

He smiled sheeplishly. "I take it that prevert Miroku tried flirting with Lea?" 

Sango nodded. "And he finally got what he desevered too." She glared at the monk as he came out of the woods the join them by the fire. "I hope you learned a lesson, you freak. And since Lea is now a part of the group for the time being, I'll garentee if you snoop around us and Ryo will break both your arms!" 

"He'll pound you to a pulp." Rowen muttered. "And so will the rest of us." Strata spoke as he dropped out of the trees with a hand full of fresh rabbits and two birds. "And if Sage ever finds out there is gonna be hell to pay."

"That over protective, huh." Miroku asked. 

The three Ronins nodded together. "We're one big family, we look over for each other." 

Miroku leaned over to Sango. "So what is my lovely lady making tonight?" 

Sango was choosing to ignore the question when she felt some hand on her backside. 

"MIROKU YOU PREVERT!" 

The camp burst into laughter as Sango slapped the monk and sent him flying into the hedge. "You can sleep with the wolves tonight!" She roared, throwing sticks and stones in his wake. 

********

"This place is really creepy." Shippo whispered from his pearch on Rowen's shoulder guard. 

Rowen nodded. "I now." He held his loaded bow ready as they walked further into the cave. Kento was still flexing his grip on his staff as it hung in it's chained pieces. Every once in a while he would spin one just to be sure he was still ready for an attack. 

Miroku held his hand ready to be released. "Not a very comfortable place to be held captive in." he muttered.

"I'm more worried about the fact Sage could get sick again." Strata hissed. "It had only been two weeks since Sage came out of this horrible illness that nearly killed him." 

The monk nodded. "Now I see why you're despreate to find him." 

"Gotta hope he has been able to armor up." Kento sighed. "He might be alright if he had." 

Rowen entered a large open area in the cave, taking to the walls as he walked around the room studying the shackles lying on the cold damp floor. "He was here alright." Strata whispered. "I can still sense his armor."

"Yeah…and his favorite aftershave." Kento flashed a broad smile.

Miroku blinked a few times as Rowen shot Hardrock a dark look before motioning out. Cye meet them from down a tunnel that forked the path. "It looks like someone left in a real hurry." 

"By the looks of those cuffs, Sage escaped." Rowen informed. "At least we know he can still move. He might have gotten into his armor…but I'm not really putting my hopes on that yet." 

Kento sighed in a little. "Sage esacped, and was prusued…where did he go and if he is still moving…we don't know then. Right?" 

Miroku scratched his head. "And those demons will know nothing if we catch them because most of them have been tracking us." 

"Let's luck out and chase everyone down until we find out which way he went!" Cye growled. "This is getting annoying. Sage would have used the armor by now to contact us!"

"He's right." Rowen whispered. "We maybe bonded to each other, but ours to Ryo's is the strongest. And he is getting really edgy." 

Inuyasha's roar of outrage was followed by Ryo's command to arms. 

It hit the group in the caves like a –

*******

SLAP! 

Sage had no time to duck as Jassaya stormed into the room, her face red with fury as she drew back her hand and smacked the blonde Ronin Warrior with all her might. 

She had a pretty good arm on her, Sage noted as he swallowed a mouthful of his own blood. 

"You idiot! You just had to run to Naraku!" Jassaya growled. "Thanks to you, I now have to deal with him! He has you and I have this damn marble that seems to be of some importantance to his cause for you!" The brown haired woman held the Halo orb in her fist. 

She drew back her arm to hit him again. 

Sage was ready this time. He caught her wrist as it flew for his already red cheek. He squeezed until her fingers slackened. "Don't touch me again!" He hissed in a deadly voice. 

Jassaya flashed her fanged teeth at the Ronin of Light. "You baka! Naraku is by far worse than me when he is cross! If it wasn't for your powers he'd have killed you on the spot!" 

Sage growled a little, throwing Jassaya's arm back at her. "You want the hell out of this mess so bad? Give me my crystal and I might just save you." 

Jassaya shook her head. "No." She placed the marble in her coin bag. "If you want you're worthless trinket, you would have to earn it."

"How?" Halo asked, most certainly regreting he ever asked.

"I'm sure Naraku told you I'm looking for a mate." Jassaya informed, crossing her arms in annoyance. "And after much consideration, since you are not that presitess's worthless pet Inuyasha, you make a prefect replacement."

Sage snarled for once. "In your dreams." 

"Then this rock is mine." Jassaya informed sweetly as she marched pass Sage. 

Sage clenched his fists as he tried to think of some way to deal with this problem. He looked around, just in case there was any guards watching as he spun around and tackled Jassaya. 

He pinned her down to the floor with all his might, careful not let his guard down. 

"I may not have a weapon…but I'm very skilled with my bare hands." Sage hissed as he pinned Jassaya to the floor with his lavender glare. It was painfully cold, like ice, as he made the threat. 

"Is that an offer?" Jassaya smiled up at him.

Sage blinked in surprise at this woman's audacity to even think in such a way when he had the upper hand. It was odd she could fear that man Naraku, yet laugh in the Ronin's face when he was seething in rage. 

Jassaya manged to pull free, using Sage's shock to her advantage. Halo landed on the floor with a voilent smash, splinters and wood chips diging into his dark blue and green tunic as he rolled across the floor. 

She jumped into the air and landed hard on Halo's chest, knocking the air from his lungs. Sage slumped under her, gasping for a second wind, as well as wincing to the pain the impact had on his ribs. 

The demon reached down and held up one of Sage's hands, letting the fabric fall from his arm to reveal his mangled wrist from her imprisonment. A normal wound like that would still be raw and bruised at this stage in healing. Her eyes narrowed a little, they were still red, and the last traces of bruises were slowly disappearing. 

"Naraku either used his powers to heal you…or you have powers of your own." 

Sage winced. "What makes you think that?" He wheezed. 

"You came out of that coma far to quickly…and you were physically able to break free." Jassaya glared down at Sage. "I'm starting to think that trinket you want so much has something to do with this." 

Sage pulled his hand away, but it resulted in pulling Jassaya down. He clenched his teeth in annoyance, as the same time startled the Ronin Warrior of Grace. He wished for a second that he could litterly fall throught the floor and out of reach of this woman. 

"I'm going to personally speak to Naraku." Jassaya informed in a cold whisper. "Thanks to you I have to bargain with this demon…who has enough power to kill us both. If I have to give up you're powers, I want one thing in return."

Sage took a sharp breath, he tried not to wince since Jassaya's knee was buried into his gut. He hated to ask more questions, only to get answers he didn't want to hear. 

"What is that?"

Jassaya leaned down, sealing her lips over Halo's. It took all of Sage's free will to keep from turning his head away. Maybe, just maybe he could get his armor back if he endured this just a little bit…but he couldn't bring himself to return the kiss. 

The demon woman finally decided she needed to get back to business. She pulled back and climbed off Sage, leaving him on the floor to dust himself off and dig splinters from his skin and clothes. She stopped in the door way that lead out of the room they had fought in. 

"Well, at least you're getting the point." She said darkly. "Now if only you'd respond willingly and not fight me, this won't be as painful as it already is for you." Jassaya growled and left. 

Sage sat up, running his hand through his hair to get it out of his face. He had just had his rear handed to him on a silver plater over some stupid comeback and had committed himself to more hell. 

_Guys, you've got to get me out of this mess. _Sage thought as he remained sitting on the floor, left to himself in his thoughts. 

What the hell was he going to do now.

*******

"Kento! LOOK OUT!" Kagome shouted. 

Hardrock dodged aside as snarling demon wolf tried to snap his head off. He fell to the ground as he neared the fallen log that Kagome was firing arrows from behind, giving her a clear shot of the demon's flank. 

She was using the bow with the looser cord, taking careful aim and firing. The young girl watched as her arrow sailed threw the air and stuck the beast, but bounced harmless away.

"His fur is like armor!" Miroku shouted. "We're going to need something stronger. 

Cye and Ryo stood ready on the edge of the clearing. "He has to have a soft under belly…" Torrent whispered. 

Ryo nodded. "Cover me." The Ronin leader informed as he dashed for the demon. Kagome began to fire again, this time drawing the monster's attention to her as Kento held up a good defense in case it charged. 

The Ronin Warrior of Wildfire dropped down on his side as he skidded across the ground, going under the demon. He moved to stab his sword up when he stabbed upward. It buried itself deep into the thing's belly, spilling dark blood across Ryo's red armor. It oozed down his blade and arm. When the monster roared in outrage it gushed, splattering liquid black scarlet all over him. 

Then the monster kicked. 

Ryo heard Kento shouting for him to get out of there. The wolf demon began to spaz, kicking it's legs and trying to dig the Ronin leader out from under him. 

A claw caught Ryo's shoulder, ripping a gash into the armor and exposing bare flesh. The warrior of Virtue was so startled that he froze right up, giving the monster enough time to snag Ryo with it's other foot and pitch him clear into the air while tearing three holes into his side. 

Ryo smashed into a tree as he landed on the ground. He forced his eyes open to see the blurry battle field around him. The monster was turning to the smell of it's own blood, spotting him. 

"Oh damn!" Cye shouted. "RYO GET OUT OF THERE!" He yelled. 

Kagome screamed in horror as the monster roared and started to charge for him. Kento and Cye began a mad dash to cut the beast off when Rowen's arrows began to fill the air. 

"KAGOME! I can't get a good shot from here!" Rowen yelled from across the clearing. "Go for it's head!"

Kagome gupled as she realized what she had to do. As fast as she could she grabbed up her tighter bow and loaded with a long arrow. She pulled back with all her might and fired.

The monster dropped dead on the ground with an arrow protruding from it's ear. 

Cye rushed over to Ryo. "Ryo! Talk to me!" 

The Ronin leader groaned as he finally gave in to the pain that was filling his body. "I wish the hell Sage was here…" He choked, coughing up blood. Rowen jogged in, dropping his bow on the the ground and removing his leader's weapons, and helmet.

"You have to take this armor off." Strata ordered. "We can only hope there is no internal bleeding." 

Ryo winced as he willed away his armor, then his sub armor. The Ronin Warrior now sat on the ground in his street clothes, some of it coveredin blood and torn in the areas that the monster had broken through his armor. 

Kento hissed. "Oh man…now we really need Sage." 

Kagome shook her head. "Why? What can he do?" 

"Sage's armor allows him to heal wounds. He's our field doctor if you think about it." Hardrock whispered. "That looks real nasty." 

Inuyasha and Miroku staggered through the hedge, both covered in blood as well. Most of it appeared to be the second wold demon's own. The monk fell down on a log, wincing as he touched his blood soaked cloak over his arm. "That bag of Kaede's…" He muttered. 

Cye removed the strap from around his neck. "Where is Lea and Sango?" 

"Cleaning up." Inuyasha snuffed, watching as Rowen tear apart Ryo's shirt to see the damage. "They did more of the dirty work."

"Not hurt are they?" Kento asked.

"No." Inuyasha turned sudden as Ryo yelped. 

Rowen pulled back his hand from the side of Ryo's chest that had bee hit. "You've got some cracked ribs." He muttered. "Jesus Ryo, haven't you learned yet that what Lea can do, you can't?" 

Cye was busy wrapping Miroku's arm when he spoke up. "My idea. I should have done it." 

And you'd still be was torn up as Ryo." Rowen growled. "There are days I wished you had a sixth sense so you'd stay out of this kind of trouble!" He began to wrap what was once Ryo's shirt around the area that he cracked his ribs. "The sooner we find Sage…the better. At least you're not bleeding internally. 

Inuyasha turned his head to Kagome. "You alright?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. They kept me a safe distance away from all the fighting." She was startled when Rowen called for her canteen. The young girl rushed back to her items and brough the water carrier back. She watched as Rowen handed it to Ryo and then got up to smile a little at her. 

"Good shot. Couldn't have been any better." 

Kagome smiled a little. "Thanks." 

"I'm going to find the girls…I also left Shippo in a tree somewhere." Strata turned and walked off.

Inuyasha looked at Ryo. "Hey, do yourself a favor and don't get in our way next time we fight." 

Ryo glared at him from the ground. "Shut up." He said in an annoyed voice, taking a long drink from the canteen. 


End file.
